Sleep With Me
by Flagg1991
Summary: A randy Luan tries to seduce Lincoln, but things don't go according to plan. Cover by Lentex.
1. Dirty Jokes

_This is unbe_ coming _of you, Luan,_ Luan Loud told herself. She was lying in a spill of early morning sunshine, her nightdress pulled up past her hips, revealing the dank juncture between her legs. Her covers were pooled around her feet. She had learned that playing with herself got messy, and she didn't want to have to wash her sheets or cover every day, or leave it to Lori, whose chore was doing the laundry, because Lori would most likely make fun of her, so she did it openly and uncovered.

Licking her dry lips, she glanced over at Luna, who was still asleep; the subtle movement dragged the thin fabric of the dress across her nipples, and she shivered, a little smile on her face; she didn't mind masturbating in the open like this, because the possibility of Luna waking up and seeing excited her even more. Maybe she'd even come over and help...

She shivered and pulled her dress down, rubbing herself through the fabric one last time. _Later, little girl, later,_ she thought as she got up. In the hall, Leni and Lincoln were waiting in line for the bathroom, Leni in her own nightdress and Lincoln in his tighty whities. And _tight_ they were. He was either growing fast, or their mother was slow in replacing his undies, because those things clung to him like funny to a clown. She could see the outline of his cute little butt, and if he turned, she was sure she would be able to see something else, something that would make her hot and wet...

"Hey, Linc," she said as she got in line behind him.

"Hey," he muttered tiredly.

"Wanna hear a joke?"

"Not really," he said, "I'm not even awake yet."

"What did the hurricane say to the coconut palm tree?"

Lincoln sighed. "What?"

"Hold on to your nuts, this is no ordinary blow job!"

Lincoln went rigid.

"Luan!" Leni cried, shocked. "That's, like, inappropriate."

"Lincoln liked it," Luan said.

"No he didn't, he's blushing like crazy."

 _Oh?_ Luan leaned over his shoulder to see, intentionally pressing her crotch into his butt. Between her nightdress and his undies, there wasn't much separating them: His heat soaked into her, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. "He _is_ blushing," Luan said, then put her lips against his ear, so that they lightly brushed him: "What's wrong, Linc? Don't like dirty jokes?"

He shuddered and pulled away from her.

"You're weird," Leni said just as the door opened behind her and Lori came out, a towel wrapped around her body and another wrapped around her hair.

"Who's weird?" she asked.

"Luan. She just told Lincoln a really dirty joke."

"It's fine," Lincoln said, escaping past Leni into the bathroom. "It was funny. I liked it." He flashed a big, fake smile, and shut the door. Inside, he sighed. He looked down at the front of his underwear; a bulge was forming, and he felt a hot rush of shame. What a pervert! He rubbed his butt, which was still warm from Luan's...yeah...and took a deep breath. He pressed hard on his boner. Go down, damn it. She's your sister.

Putting it in such blunt terms made it deflate.

In the hall, Luan waited with crossed arms for her brother to come out, a lopsided grin on her face. Leni quickly forgot about her displeasure and started humming, bobbing her head from side to side.

When Lincoln came out, he kept his head low and tried to slip by her, but she reached out and grabbed him by the arm. She turned to make sure Leni was in the bathroom, and then looked back at her brother. His eyes were wide. He looked like a doe in headlights. "Wanna hear more jokes, Linc?"

He shook his head.

"How do you stop a dog from humping your leg?"

His cheeks burned.

"Pick him up and suck his dick!"

He went pale, except for those cute little red patches on his cheeks. Luan's grin widened. She leaned in closer, so close that she could feel his breath, so close she could _taste_ it.

And it was making her delirious.

"What do a Rubik's cube and a penis have in common?" She was panting now, looming over him.

He quivered. "W-What?"

"The more you play with them..." she was on her tippy toes now, and Lincoln was practically sitting down, "the harder they get."

With a breathless gasp, he tore away from her grip and fled as fast as his little legs would carry him, throwing a final, frightened glance over his shoulder before disappearing into his room and slamming the door. Luan watched him with hooded eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. The sweet taste of his breath still lingered in her mouth; she licked her lips.

 _That_ , she decided, watching her brother's wiggling, escaping butt, is what she wanted.

When she heard his door lock, her brow furrowed. Maybe she was coming on a little too strong, though. If she _really_ wanted playtime with Lincoln, she would have to take it slow and easy. _Ummm. Slow and easy. Just like making love._

She shivered again. Alright. Later. Right now she had to get dressed and stop thinking about her brother, or she would need to masturbate again, and while she could rub one off fairly quickly, she liked to take her time, running her hands up and down her chest and stomach, her pubic mound, her inner thighs, then, when she was good and primed...

In her room, she stripped out of her nightdress and, naked, selected her clothes for the day. A plaid skirt, a white blouse and socks. Luna was still asleep, snoring lightly; after Luan pulled her shoes on, she went over and shook her sister's shoulder. "Sleepyhead," she said in a musical, singsong voice, "it's time to get up."

Luna muttered and rolled over. Luan sat. The mattress was warm. "Come on, Lune," she said. "You're going to be late."

"I don't care," Luna murmured. "Leave me alone."

Luan tried. She really did. But you know what they say about leading a horse to water. "Alright," she sighed, getting up and going to the door, where she looked back, practicing her sexy over-the-shoulder gaze for Lincoln, "but don't say I didn't try."

Downstairs, most of her sisters (and Lincoln, she saw with a throaty purr) were gathered at the dining room table, hurriedly eating their breakfast. Lincoln looked up, then quickly back down as though something intensely interesting had just happened in his Corn Flakes. Luan walked by, throwing him a lusty glance, and went into the kitchen, where she grabbed a bowl and a spoon. She selected Coco Puffs from the line of boxes marching across the island's granite top, filled the bowl halfway, then brought it into the dining room, where she sat next to Lynn, who was munching on a sports bar and paging through a copy of _Sports_ _Illustrated_. She paused at a picture of a swimsuit model, her eyes widening with what Luan took to be interest. "She _is_ hot," Luan commented as she reached for the milk.

"Huh?" Lynn asked, looking up.

"That girl you were checking out. She's hot." Luan uncapped the milk and poured some into her bowl. "I'd do her."

"I wasn't checking her out!" Lynn said defensively. "I was...I was checking out the volleyball in the background. Nice ball." She coughed nervously.

"Okay," Luan said with teasing hilt to her voice, "you _weren't_ oogling her breasts and wondering what her nipples taste like."

"Jesus, Luan," Lori said disgustedly, "you're gross."

"She's cruising for a bruising, too," Lynn said, her eyes flashing.

" _I'm_ not the one making out with a picture of a half-naked woman."

"I _wasn't_ making out with it," Lynn growled.

Luan was aware of Lincoln watching them with something like fear in his eyes. He was so sweet and timid. It was _really_ hot.

"Not yet," Luan smirked.

"Screw you," Lynn said, getting up from the table, "bitch." She snatched her magazine and stormed out of the room. Luan turned to find her sisters looking at her severely, and Lincoln looking down into his bowl.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" Lori asked, shaking her head.

"Me? I just said the girl was hot. Lynn's the one who got defensive about it."

She honestly didn't mean anything by it. The girl in the picture _was_ hot, and Luan could definitely see herself squeezing one out if her pussy had the good fortune of being rubbed (or, oh God, licked) by her. Yeah, she could have stopped when she saw she was getting under Lynn's skin, but God knows Lynn liked picking on everyone else: One day she made Lincoln storm out of the room with an endless barrage of small penis jokes. Another day, it was Luan's turn. Metal-mouth this, braceface that. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

"You should, like, apologize," Leni said, her eyes knitted in a V.

Luan sighed. "Fine." She cast a smile at Lincoln, got up, and went into the living room. Lynn was sitting on the armchair, her legs hooked over one of the arms and her head resting against the other, her ponytail hanging over the side. She held the magazine out in front of her. When she heard Luan coming, she looked up, her eyes narrowing.

"I'm sorry," Luan said. "I was just messing with you. I was being honest at first though." She grinned. "That girl _is_ hot."

Lynn searched her sister's eyes for traces of deception, but found none, and her shoulders relaxed a little. "That's not something you joke about."

Luan's eyebrows furrowed. "What's something you don't joke about?"

"Nevermind," Lynn said, going back to her magazine, "just drop it."

Whatever. Luan had more important things to worry about than Lynn being weird anyway.

Like how she was going to get her brother to sleep with her.


	2. How to Get Lincoln to Sleep With Me

Luan walked to school in the warm Spring sunshine, her books hugged to her chest and her mind in the clouds. Her older siblings walked ahead of her. Lincoln walked behind, his hands in his pockets and his gaze downcast, as though he were scanning the sidewalk for loose change. She threw a couple sexy-over-the-shoulder glances his way, but he missed them all, and she pursed her lips in frustration. _How can I seduce you if you're not paying attention, Lincoln Loud?_

When she wasn't looking, she made sure to swish her hips exaggeratedly; surely _that_ would make him wild with passion. He had to look up _sometime_ , right? And when he did, her butt would be there, winking at him, her ponytail bobbing jauntily along behind her. He'd see, say _Damn, my sister's butt looks_ good _,_ then hopefully pounce her right there: They could roll off the sidewalk and into a stand of bushes. Luan didn't mind going to school with twigs and leaves in her hair. In fact, it sounded _hot_.

She looked back again. Lincoln was watching her with a raised eyebrow. Their eyes met, and he quickly looked away. She flushed. _Like what you see, Lincy? Because I_ love _what_ I _see._

Behind her, Lincoln looked at her again, his eyebrow once again lifted. Why was she waddling like a penguin? Did she have hemorrhoids? A disgustingly detailed vision of his sister's butt clustered full of yellow hemorrhoids polyps popped into his head, and he threw up in his mouth...just a little. Now, subtract the hemorrhoids...

No. Don't subtract the hemorrhoids. Heck, add more, cover the whole thing so you couldn't see even one square inch of soft, pink skin...

Boy, it was a nice day, huh? Look at those trees! And that rock. Yup. That's a fine rock. Hey, is that a bottle cap on the ground? What brand is that cigarette butt? Kool? Pall Mall? Whew, almost stepped on a crack. Close one, mom. Hey, look, a-

Something slammed Lincoln in the head and stars burst across his eyes. It felt like goddamn Mike Tyson hit him: He was sitting on his ass and rubbing his dome when Luan rushed over and dropped to her knee beside him. "You okay, Linc?" she asked, touching his forehead. He hissed. "Yeah. Someone just whipped my ass. That's all."

"Uh, Linc? You walked into a stop sign."

Lincoln looked up. The stop sign stared mockingly back, all of ten pounds soaking wet.

"Guy packs a punch," Lincoln admitted as Luan helped him up.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Thanks."

Instead of letting him go, Luan drew him closer. "I don't know, Linc. I better help you. You might fall down."

"I'm fine, really."

"Grab my butt if you need to steady yourself."

Lincoln pulled away. "Ooookay. Really. I'm fine, great, see?" He did a little dance move, throwing his hips back and his arms up as if to embrace thin air.

" _Nice_ one, Linc," she said appreciatively, her hands fluttering to her hips. She leaned in. "Do you know the horizontal mambo?"

Lincoln blinked. "The what?"

"It's a _real_ fun dance," she said, leaning even closer. Oh, no, not this again _._ "Maybe I can teach you."

"Sounds fun," Lincoln said, smiling nervously and inching away. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

He started walking as fast as he could, heedless to cracks, cigarette butts, and bottle tops. When he looked back, Luan was eating dust, strolling along placidly. She was weird, but cute.

Lincoln slapped himself across the face. _You earned that, perv._

 _Clumsy is sexy,_ she thought as she leered after him. _So is that bruise on his forehead. Too bad he didn't hit his nuts. 'Oh, Linc, let me take a look and make sure you aren't badly hurt. They_ feel _fine, but I better taste them just to be sure.'_

She felt the crotch of her panties dampen, and rolled her eyes. Looks like she'd be rubbing one off in the girl's bathroom. Again. Sigh.

She got to school with three minutes to spare: Just enough time to visit her locker, put away the books she didn't need, and grab the ones she did. She passed Lincoln on her way to first period; he was leaning against a locker and regaling some boys with the tale of how he beat up a bully on the way to school, and earned a bruise for his trouble ("You should _see_ the other guy.")

"Oh, the tall, skinny one?" Luan asked, pausing. He looked at her. _Don't fuck this up for me,_ his eyes said. "Lincoln made him _stop_ , alright. In fact, he's still at the side of the road!

The other boys ooohed and awwwed in wonder.

"See ya, Linc!"

During first period, Luan ignored her teacher and her lame-ass lesson plan in favor of doodling in her notebook. She drew a picture of Lincoln sitting on his ass with birds flying around his head, an animate stop sign with arms looming over him. Behind the tall guy, Luan drew herself wearing a skin tight leather suit, a face mask, and a cape that fluttered in the breeze. "I'll save you!" her speech bubble read. The next one she drew was her standing with her hands on her hip in a heroic pose. Lincoln was on his knees before her, 'thanking' her for saving him.

Two halls away, Lincoln Loud wondered after his sister's odd behavior. Dirty jokes, leering, waddling like she had sciatica...what, did she have a stroke in the night? He thought back to when she leaned over his shoulder and accidentally rubbed against him. Thankfully Lori came out of the bathroom and he was able to slip in before anyone noticed his growing erection. _You have no room to talk, Lincoln. Popping a chub over one of your sisters is pretty freaking odd too._

True, but still, Luan was acting like a nut. Maybe it was...uh...her time of the month. From what he knew about visits from Aunt Flo, girls acted like lunatics during their monthly gift, crying over _The Notebook_ one minute and reenacting _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ the next, with you as the victim. It made sense. He'd waddle too if he had a tampon up his crotch, as for the dirty jokes...sadists liked watching people squirm, right? And there's nothing more sadistic than a woman with blood gushing out of her ladyparts.

Why are girls so damn strange?

At lunch, Luan got a tray, allowed a fat lunch lady to fill it up, and then grabbed an empty table by one of the big windows overlooking the school commons. She checked out a few boys as they passed, but they didn't give her the same thrill that her little brother did. She imagined it had to do with the taboo aspect. Taboos were _hot_. In her current flustered state, her face red and her knees quaking, she wanted to sample every taboo there was. Gay stuff, incest, being peed on...Jesus, she needed to masturbate before she started wanting to eat someone's shit (she wasn't that far gone _yet_ , but if the pressure kept building, who knew?). She was hungry, though, and she'd regret not eating later on when her stomach was rumbling and everyone in class was looking at her like she was a piece of shit.

Taking a deep breath, she shoved a roll into her mouth whole: Her cheeks bulged out. Hurry up, eat so you can go touch yourself. She pushed a piece of mystery meat in as well. Her mouth was so full she couldn't chew. Damn it.

She was trying to distend her jaw like a snake when Lincoln walked up with Clyde. She smiled. "Hi, Linc!" she said, spraying bits of bread and meat into their faces and onto their trays. A wad of soggy roll hit Lincoln in the forehead and stayed there like a spitball. Particles coated Clyde's glasses. They looked at each other, then to their ruined lunches, then turned and walked away.

Hm. He must have stuff to do.

"Bye, Linc!"

She leaned to one side to get as good a view of his butt as possible. Um. Your name should be Campbell's, because you are m-m-m _good!_

She hurriedly finished her lunch, dumped her tray into a trashcan, then went to the girl's room, where, in a stall, she yanked her underwear down to her knees and touched herself until she was shaking; she leaned one arm against the wall and rode out her orgasm, biting her bottom lip so hard she drew blood.

When it was over, her mind was clear and her loins no longer ached. Ahhh. That's better. She washed her hands (in the mirror, her face was flushed, a good look on her, she thought) and was just going back into the hall when the bell rang. _I am_ smooth.

Her next class was study hall. Instead of studying, she opened her notebook, took out her pen, and wrote HOW TO GO GET LINCOLN TO SLEEP WITH ME BY LUAN LOUD.

1.

Hm. Let's see. How to get Lincoln to sleep with her. Well...Lincoln's a boy, and boys are always sprung, right? She was, and she was a girl. If a boy's always horny, all you really had to do was...tease them along a little. Get him so hard he can't think straight: When he's throbbing and feverish, he won't care she's his sister (if that kind of thing bothers him in the first place). Okay.

 _1\. Get him bothered and hot._

Two. She thought back to their interactions that day, from her jokes to what happened at lunch. Maybe, just _maybe_ , she was freaking him out...just a little. If she freaked him out, he wouldn't want to sleep with her.

 _2\. Stop freaking him out. Be smooth._

She could do smooth. Her sexy little walk today probably achieved point one _and_ two. After all, didn't he walk into a stop sign? He was _totally_ checking her out. Had to be. What _else_ could she do to be smooth? Cheesy pick-up lines? Those were a riot. Oh! She had the perfect one! She'd spring it on him as soon as she got home. Until he was good and groomed, though, she should really stop cornering him. Play it nice and easy. Then, behind closed doors, she could unleash the Kraken. That boy wouldn't know what hit him. She almost felt bad for him. Almost. Because she as a good sister and she'd make it good for him. _So_ good.

 _3\. Do things with him._

Not _those_ kinds of things. That came later. She meant playing video games with him, or reading comics or...she didn't know, playing action figures...whatever he was into these days. Everyone was always asking him to do things _they_ liked, but no one ever asked to do things _he_ liked. Well...Luan Loud would ask to do whatever he wanted (hopefully 'whatever' involved sex), even if that meant she'd have to play with man Barbies.

Whatever it took to get Lincoln in her arms.

Or just in her.

Alright, she was starting to get hot again. She put the tip of her pen into her mouth and chewed it. Point four, point four...did she really _need_ a point four? God, if it was her, Lincoln would only have to beckon with his finger and she'd skip merrily into his room, undressing as she went, leaving a trail of clothes to his room and not caring who came across them. 'Why is Luan's underwear in front of Lincoln's door?' 'What's Luan's bra doing here?' 'Why does the hall smell like sex?' It was so deliciously dirty that she squirmed in her seat. The thought crossed her mind, and not for the first time, that it would be pretty hot to touch herself in class. The thought of someone seeing, or hearing, and getting turned on excited her. Even at her horniest, though, she had enough presence of mind not to. The last thing she needed was to be sent to the principal's office, and then possibly to therapy.

But being watched...that was _such_ a turn on. She imagined banging Lincoln while all of their sisters watched, some obviously turned on, and others disgusted, and her loins twanged. Or maybe posting a video of it to her website and seeing what her 50,000 followers had to say. BROTHER AND SISTER SPEND QUALITY TIME TOGETHER, she'd call it. Maybe she'd have Lincoln do her from the back, put on a rainbow wig and a red nose, and tell jokes into the camera until she came. She could make puns about her cherry being popped, coming and going, and...she didn't even know. She was too focused on the image of her brother taking her from behind, dominating her while the whole world watched. _That_ was what she cared about, not cracking jokes. She wondered then what he O face looked like. She'd never seen it before. She should record it on her phone and watch it. Then she'd send it to Lincoln. _Ow, I stubbed my toe_ , _look how much pain I'm in._

She started rubbing her legs together, generating friction. This was torture! She needed to hurry up and get a nice, hot sausage _Linc_ in her or she'd go out of her mind.

Heaving a sigh, she stopped rubbing and looked down at her notebook. Three points. Did she need a fourth? No, she didn't think so. Three points. What she _did_ need was to indulge her artistic talents. She took her pen out of her mouth (had she been fellating it?) and drew a quick sketch of herself bent over and dressed like a clown, complete with bowtie, nose, and rainbow afro. She drew Lincoln behind her as a mime, a little beret perched jauntily on his head. _I like the strong, silent type_ she wrote across the bottom, and underlined it heavily. Then: I LOVE MY BROTHER.

On the opposite page, she drew a giant, throbbing penis and a pair of shocked eyes. Below that, a butt, because every joke needs a butt. Only this was no joke. This was the real deal. She meant business, and when Luan Loud meant business, you better watch out.

Because when she meant business, she got what she wanted.


	3. Part Time Pervert

Lynn Loud ducked left, right, then ran along an open stretch of field, her heart racing and her body weary from the pounding it had taken at the hands of the girls on the other team. It was just after 4, and the team had been split into two practice groups. Somehow, most of the bigger girls wound up on the other side, which irritated Lynn. She already had the sneaking suspicion that Coach Michaels didn't like her, and this was just further proof.

Lynn was almost to the end zone when a cunt the size of a Mac truck slammed into her from the right, lifting her off her feet: For a horrible moment, Lynn was airborne, bent at the waist, her arms and legs out in front of her in a sideways V; then she hit the ground and the air rushed out of her.

It was days like this that Lynn almost kind of didn't totally like sports.

Sighing, she forced herself into a sitting position. Her teammates were starting to cluster around her.

"You alright?" Number 42 asked, kneeling in front of her and removing her helmet. Amber Paulson was a year older than Lynn and played tight end. She had clear blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. Her face was soft, her button nose cute.

At least _Lynn_ thought it was cute.

"I'm fine," Lynn said quickly and got to her feet. "See?" She stumbled.

"You look a little woozy," Amber said, standing. "You sure you're fine?" Her beautiful eyes were pooled with concern, and Lynn felt her stomach flutter.

"Never better," she said quickly, and hurried away. On the sidelines, she grabbed a Gatorade and dropped onto the bench. With a sigh, she watched Amber put her helmet back on and turn away; Lynn caught a flash of her butt, lovingly cupped by her tights, before looking away, her face flushed with shame.

"You alright, Loud?" Coach Michaels asked, startling Lynn. Coach was like Lucy: She had a bad habit of just _showing up_.

Lynn nodded. "I'm fine."

"That was one hell of a hit," Coach said, "you sure?"

"100 percent," Lynn said, and flashed a big smile to show that she was, in fact, 100 percent fine.

"Alright," Coach said, "hit the showers."

Lynn gulped. "Okay."

She _wasn't_ fine. She was having strange thoughts that bothered her, thoughts about other girls, thoughts that made her hate herself. No matter how hard she tried, though, she couldn't rid herself of them. She could push them to the back of her mind, but they were always there, always nagging, and eventually, they would drift to the front until she suddenly found herself entertaining them, relishing them, indulging them the way a pedophile might indulge fantasies of diddling little kids.

Getting up, holding her helmet by the strap, she started toward the locker room, her chest tight. _This_...this was the worst part of her day, because when she was surrounded by steam and naked girls, she couldn't pretend that she didn't know what she _really_ liked.

At her locker, she grabbed her gym bag and stripped. Hopefully she could get out before the others came in, that way she wouldn't be faced with the thoughts and self-loathing.

In the shower room, she turned a handle and stood under the head. The initial burst of water was cold, bracing. What came after was lukewarm...then hot. She let the water beat against her sore body, her stress not exactly melting away, but loosening. She turned, wet the back of her hair, and shuddered at the way the water sluiced down her back like the nimble fingers of a lover.

An image of Amber Paulson flashed across her mind, and she shoved it away. She faced the showerhead again and jumped when the echo of slamming doors and laughter drifted through the locker room. Shit.

Moments later, the other girls started coming in, and Lynn had to fight hard to keep from looking at them: She ducked her head and pursed her lips. She hoped none of them...

...aaaand Amber Paulson took the spot directly next to her. Her periphery was filled with smooth, creamy flesh, jigging breasts, and firm, toned legs. "Hey, Lynn," Amber said, turning the handle.

"Hey," Lynn replied. She looked at Amber, just to be polite, zeroing in on her eyes and ignoring everything else. "Some game, huh?"

"Yeah," Amber replied. "I thought they killed you out there."

"Nah, it takes more than that to put me down," Lynn replied. She stared straight ahead, intimately acquainting herself with the grout between the tiles. Part of her wanted to flee, but another part of her wanted to stay, because she liked being around Amber.

"You're tough," Amber said, lathering her hair with shampoo. "It woulda killed me."

"When you've taken as many hits as I have, you get used to it."

Lynn glanced over at her teammate, her loins stirring at the way the soapy shampoo slid down her body. She turned back to the grout, fighting to keep from stealing another look. "I gotta go," she muttered. She cut the water, grabbed her towel, and wrapped it around herself.

"Alright," Amber said, "catch you later."

"Sure," Lynn said, blushing furiously. She went out into the locker room, keeping her gaze straight ahead. At her locker, she took a fresh change of clothes out of her gym bag and hurriedly dressed. She sat on the bench and was pulling her shoes on when she started to cry.

* * *

Luan Loud bounced through the door at 3:10 that afternoon. Her step was light and springy, a smile played across her face. She'd made up her mind: Starting now, she would work to seduce her brother. No games, no kid stuff – she was playing for keeps, as serious as pneumonia in a 90-year-old man.

Lincoln was sitting on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table ( _oooh, naughty boy_ ). Lucy sat next to him, kicking her feet and reading one of her weird books. Lincoln glanced up when she came through the door, and looked away with a sigh.

"Hey, Linc!"

"Hi."

"Bye, Linc!"

Upstairs, she put her things away, kicked out of her shoes, and pulled her socks off. She couldn't wait to try her cheesy one-liner on Lincoln. It would knock him dead. Before going back downstairs, she hit the bathroom, where she peed, applied some fresh deodorant, and spritzed herself with some of Leni's perfume.

In the living room, she crossed her arms on the back of the couch and leaned over. Lincoln was lost in the TV, Lucy in her book, neither giving the slightest indication that they even knew she was there. Coming around the couch, she sat on the arm and looked down at her brother. He looked up at her, then back to the TV.

"Hey, Linc," Luan said, lifting her left right and resting it on her right leg. "I'm not wearing any socks."

Lincoln looked at her (did his eyes linger on her bare leg?) and nodded. "Cool."

She leaned in. "And I have the panties to match."

Lincoln and Lucy both looked at her.

"That's an odd thing to say to your brother," Lucy said.

Luan leaned even closer, her face inches above Lincoln's head (ummm, his hair smelled good). "Lucy...I'm not wearing any socks, and I have the panties to match." She smiled. "There, I said to my sister too."

She hopped off the arm of the couch and went to the stairs. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Lincoln shook his head and went back to watching TV, trying, and failing, to not imagine what Luan's "panties" looked like.

"What's up with her?" Lucy asked.

Lincoln shrugged. "I don't know. She's been acting weird all day. I think she's on her period. Probably bled all over her underwear which is why she isn't wearing them."

Lucy sighed. "Nice to see what I have to look forward to."

"Good luck," Lincoln said.

In her room, Luan dropped onto her bed. While she was trying to seduce Lincoln, Luna must have come home, for she was sitting on her bed doing her homework, a textbook open on the covers before her and a notebook in her lap. "Hey," she said without looking up.

"Hey," Luan replied. She looked up at the ceiling. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

Luan rolled onto her side and rested her chin in her upturned palm. "How do you get a boy to notice you?"

"Exist," Luna said, scanning her notebook.

"No, really."

"I mean it," Luna replied. "Guys are total horndogs. All you have to do is occupy, you know, space and matter and shit, and they'll notice you."

Hm. She was right about boys being horny toads, at least from she herself had heard. And it was true that Lincoln looked a _little_ too long and hard at her leg. So...he noticed her? In that way?

"Alright, what if he notices me, but I _really_ wanna sink the hook in?"

Luna shrugged. "Tell him."

Luan blinked. "What?"

"Tell him you're into him. Boys can be kinda dumb when it comes to things like that. You have to be loud and clear."

 _Loud._ Lol.

But seriously, tell him? She doubted _that_ would work. In the porn videos she watched online, no one ever plunged into an asshole without lubing it up first. Same thing with telling your brother you want to fuck his brains out: Even if he was intrigued, being so blunt might scare him off, getting him thinking about how 'wrong' it is to lay your older sister down and ravish her.

It was official. Her plan to get him bothered and hot was the best. Thanks for nothing, Luna.

Maybe she could take him to the comic book store, get her shirt all wet, and change in right in front of him, give him a peek at some side boob. She imagined the stunned expression he would doubtlessly wear, and she smiled. She unconsciously rubbed her legs together, generating friction: Her loins started to tingle.

"So, you're into a boy, huh?" Luna asked.

"Umhm."

"Cool. Bout time you showed some interest in dating. I was starting to think you were going to be a crazy cat lady or something."

"That was before puberty," Luan said and laughed. "And my _cat_ is plenty crazy."

Luna glanced over, saw her sister rubbing her legs together and tweaking her nipple through her shirt, and looked away again. "I think that's more than just puberty," Luna said. _I think you're a pervert too._

"Maybe..." Luan sighed. She was so hot she _had_ to cum _now_. She got up and went into the bathroom. She was just stepping inside when she saw Lincoln going into his room and shutting the door. A thought crossed her mind: She could take Luna's advice, go in there, and tell him how she felt. Or, better yet, she could _show_ him. She could pull down her underwear and play with herself as he watched. _If you want, you're_ more _than welcome to join, Linc..._

Enticing, but no. Not yet. She had to keep chipping away at the stone.

Thinking of her brother, she chipped away at _her_ stone.

* * *

Lynn Loud walked home from football practice alone, her gym bag slung over her shoulder. Her steps were quick, her gaze downcast. If anyone had seen her face, they would have noticed a lingering blush and puffy pink eyes. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she stop thinking about Amber Paulson? Why couldn't she stop thinking about all the other girls in the shower? And why did thinking about them excite her?

When she arrived home, she went straight to her room, threw her gym bag into a corner, and laid down on her bed, lacing her hands behind her head. At the end of a hard, stressful day, nothing beat coming home and relaxing among the people you love...even if sometimes you roast their asses and they roast yours back.

"Lincoln!" Luan's voice drifted down the hall. "Linc-ol-n!"

"What?"

"I need your help with something!"

Lynn thought back to that morning, when Luan caught her gawking at that swimsuit model. Luan had no idea how close she came to having her teeth knocked down her throat. The only thing that held her back was the fact that Luan was her sister and she loved her. If it had been literally anyone _not_ related to her, she would have whipped their ass.

In the hall, Lincoln poked his head out of his room. At the other end, Luan stood by the bathroom door, her hands on her hips. When she saw him, she waved. "Hey, Linc!"

Lincoln's shoulders sagged. Why did he stick his head out the door? Why didn't he just ignore her and continue with his comic book?

Too late now, she saw him. Sighing, Lincoln went to her. As he approached, his heart started racing. Her shirt was unbuttoned to her navel, and he could see the middle of her lacy black bra. He skitted to a stop, his heart clutching in his chest. Oh, hell no. He couldn't do this. He'd pop a shameful boner and he'd already filled up his quota on shameful boners for the day. He turned and started back for his room.

"Lincoln!" she called after him. "Come on! Please?"

He told himself it was the desperate tone (man, she really needs help) that spun him, but deep down, he knew that it wasn't.

Sighing, he went to her, keeping his eyes on hers and trying to ignore everything else. Her pink lips sparkled in the light, and she smelled good. He felt himself stirring and called up an image of fat men dancing naked in the snow to quell it. "What's wrong?" he asked a little more sharply than he'd meant.

"The knob fell off and I can't get it back on. " She pouted. "Can you help me? I'm sure you'd have a _handle_ on the situation."

"This knob does nothing _but_ fall off. You don't know how to fix it?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head; her ponytail slapped each side of her cheek. The intoxicating smell of her shampoo filled his nostrils and made him hard again. _Fat men, jiggling stomachs, small penises shrinking in the cold..._

Sighing, he reached into the shower and grabbed the metal knob from a corner. Luan sat on the edge of the tub and crossed her legs, her foot brushing his arm; goosebumps rushed up and down his body. He toenails were painted a glittery pink, her claves were smooth and touchable. Lincoln gulped as he fought the strange and disgusting urge to run his hands up her legs. His eyes stopped where her skirt did; she shifted slightly, and he _almost_ caught a flash of what was underneath.

He put the knob back with trembling fingers. "There," he said, "did you watch how I did it?"

She smiled up at him. "I was watching you."

Lincoln licked his lips. "Good."

"Thanks, Linc," she said, popping back up. She pressed herself against him and planted a burning kiss on his forehead.

"Y-You're welcome," he said, getting out of there as fast as he could. Luan watched him go with a smirk on her face. He was coming around. _Soon, Lincy, you and I are going to have a ball. Maybe two._

She turned and that's when she saw Leni standing in the doorway to hers and Lori's room, her brows furrowed and her eyes severe.

"Hey, Len," Luan said, "need to go?"

For a moment Leni simply stared at her, and Luan started to feel uncomfortable. "No," she finally said, "and the next time you want Lincy's help with something, button your shirt up."

* * *

In his room, Lincoln paced back and forth. Oh, man, oh man, this was _not_ good. His dick was so hard he could probably rob a bank with it, and a slick, greasy _something_ slithered through the pit of his stomach. He was a fucking pervert! A white-haired freak of nature! A mistake! He was pitiful and disgusting, a real hillbilly. God, Luan was his sister, but standing with her in the bathroom, that didn't matter. He envisioned himself sucking her face, and shivered.

He was so perverted that he was projecting his own sick, horrible, unnatural emotions onto her. He could have _sworn_ her eyes smoldered with lust.

A thought occurred to him that stopped him dead in his tracks.

What if her eyes _were_ smoldering with lust? What if she was doing this on purpose? Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense, what with the jokes she'd been telling all day. He thought back to her waddling down the street this morning. What if that was her trying to be sexy?

Alright, for starters, that was a pitiful "sexy" walk. And two...ugh! I'm her brother! We're, like, made out of the same stuff!

 _Then why does the thought of kissing her make your junk twitch?_

I don't know! He sat heavily on the bed and buried his face in his hands. A stiff breeze makes my penis twitch. Literally.

Oh, but not like this, you sick little bastard.

Fine, I'm a piece of shit, happy? I kind of _like_ the idea of being with her. There.

Sighing, he looked up. Did...did Luan really think of him that way? The prospect sent a ripple through his stomach, whether of excitement or dread he couldn't tell. An image came to him: Luan sitting on the edge of the tub with her legs spread, baring all she had, and him in the middle, running his hands along her silken flesh.

He shivered. Alright, so if Luan _was_ doing this on purpose, that meant he had to duck her advances, because at this rate, he'd wind up saying 'screw it' and screwing his sister. And afterwards, he'd feel dirty for the rest of his life. Plus, making it with your sister is a good way to destroy your sibling relationship, and Lincoln rather liked the relationship they had right now.

Man, this was bad. _Real_ bad.

His penis stirred.

"And _you_ can shut the hell up, you nasty little shit," Lincoln said, pointing at his crotch. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

He's a free agent.

Lincoln chuckled. Lovely. His sister was trying to do him and, as awful as it made him feel, he kind of wanted to do her too, but there's a line you don't cross, and that line was sex with your sister. He'd have to be smart, he'd have to be quick, he'd have to have nerves of steel.

 _I wish I was Ace Savvy._

But he wasn't. He was Lincoln Loud.

Part time pervert.


	4. It's Just Sex

Leni Loud was the first one awake the next morning. She had no reason to be, since it was Saturday and she hadn't set her alarm, but here she was at 6am, sitting up in bed and absently scrolling through her phone, the harsh blue light stinging her eyes even though the screen brightness was set to 35 percent. In the next bed over, Lori was a shapeless form, silent save for the occasional snort. Leni almost envied her older sister; Lori's mind was free and clear, populated only by Bobby and, like, getting her nails done or something. Meanwhile Leni's was haunted by the specter of her younger sister.

And the way she was acting.

Leni could forgive the dirty joke Luan told Lincoln yesterday morning, but all that afternoon, she saw signs that something wasn't right. Luan staring at Lincy like he was a piece of meat and she was a hungry dog, Luan...well, that was the only thing Leni had actually _seen,_ but she saw it multiple times. Then, before bed, Lucy mentioned something about another dirty joke Luan told Lincoln, this one even worse than the first.

Was Luan...like... _interested_ in Lincoln? Like...in _that_ way? Leni had been interested in several boys over the years, and while she couldn't honestly saw _how_ she looked at them (she didn't exactly whip out a mirror and study her expression...she wasn't Lola), she was pretty sure she'd given at least one or two the kind of eyes Luan had been giving Lincoln yesterday. She wound up sleeping with one of them. Well, not fully, but they did things in his room while his mother wasn't home, things that are fine when you do them with someone who _isn't_ your brother.

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe it was completely innocent and she was twisting it in her head. She had always been protective of Lincy. He was like a cute little puppy dog, and bad things sometimes happen to cute little puppy dogs, because they're so loyal and trusting. Just look at those sad commercials with the poor dogs that got beat up and abused. _No one_ was going to beat up and abuse her Lincy. No one.

But Luan didn't want to beat up and abuse Lincy, right? Luan was his sister and she loved him the same as Leni. Leni was just edgy, that was all. Lincoln was growing up and would be dating soon. She'd realized that for a while now, and it kind of scared her, because some girls are total bitches, and being the cute little puppy dog that he is, Lincoln could very well fall victim to them. Seeing Luan looking at him in what _had_ to be familial love sort of...triggered her. That was all. It had to be.

Even so, she had a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She looked up from her phone, gazed into the early morning gloom, and tried to identify just what that feeling was. Dread? No, not quite. Uncertainty? Maybe. Whatever it was, it told her to watch Luan, because even though Luan was her sister and Leni loved her, she might be one of those bitches who would beat up and abuse Lincy, even if she didn't necessarily mean to.

Leni sighed. That was the thing about abuse. The person doing it sometimes didn't even _know_ they were doing it.

Luan couldn't be like that, could she? No. She was a good sister. Well...maybe. You never really knew. The way she was looking at Lincoln, leering...

Could have been nothing.

Leni sighed. She was so conflicted and confused that she thought about waking up Lori and telling her about it, but didn't.

* * *

Lincoln Loud dragged himself out of bed at half past seven that morning and trudged to the bathroom, his eyelids glued together and his head still full of sleep. He assumed there was a line for the bathroom, but didn't know until he bumped into someone.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No problem, Linc," Luan said, and Lincoln's heart dropped. Aw, shit.

 _Great way to start your day, Lincoln; literally bumping into the one person in the world you're trying to avoid. Why don't you trip over your own stupid feet and grab her tits on the way down while you're at it?_

Speaking of tits, the thin fabric of her nightgown clung lightly to her budding chest. Lincoln could just make out her nipples, and his body went flush. He glanced away and subtly covered the crotch of his briefs. Why didn't he think to get dressed before coming out? He was a strategist, goddamn it! He should have planned this out.

Only...maybe he _did_ plan it out.

Spinning on his heels, Lincoln went back to his room, closed the door, and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. This is bullshit. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Why did she have to tease him this way? If this kept up, he might do something he'd regret, and she probably would too. If she was anything like him, she came to her senses after a good release. Once that release came, she'd realize what she'd done (and he would too), and they wouldn't be able to look each other in the eyes ever again. Hell, they probably wouldn't be able to stand being in the same _room_ ever again. That's not the kind of relationship he wanted with one of his sisters.

But damn, those legs...those chestpieces!

 _Shut up, you fucking idiot! Just shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_

He got up, went to the door, and peered out. There she was, facing the bathroom, her hands behind her back and her shoulders dipping back and forth. This wasn't a field trip, this was a war, and if she wanted to play dirty, he'd play dirty back.

When his eyes started creeping down her back toward her butt, he closed the door, hurriedly dressed, and then went into the hall. Alright, he thought with a deep breath, let's go to war, you bitch.

He got in line behind her. She turned. "Hi, Lincoln," she said with a little grin.

He nodded. "Hey."

"How did you sleep?"

He shrugged one shoulder.

"That's not an answer, silly."

"You mind if I cut in front of you?" he asked, ignoring her comment. "I gotta piss."

Before she could answer, he ducked around her.

He could sense that she wasn't entirely happy, but she didn't say anything. See how bad you want an asshole, he thought with a wicked little grin.

 _Forceful,_ Luan thought with her own smile. _I_ like _that._

"Got any plans for the day, Linc?"

"Yup."

"Oooh, what?"

An idea hit him. "Ronnie Anne's. We're getting pretty serious these days. Hand-holding. You know, the whole nine yards."

 _Good thing I'm not looking for a boyfriend, just a brother with benefits..._

"That's nice. Have you kissed her yet?"

"Totally. You know, with tongue. And lips."

This time when Luan spoke, he could feel her hot breath on the back of his neck, and shuddered. "Did you like it?"

Lincoln shrugged. "I like kissing Clyde better."

He bit down on the insides of his lips to keep from laughing.

Unfortunately, Luan took it as a joke. "You're hilarious, Linc!" she said, swatting his arm. "You should do stand-up."

That hot breath on his neck again, the sensation that her pretty pink lips were mere inches from his skin. "Or _lay down_."

Just then, the door opened and Lynn came out in a puff of steam. Seizing the opportunity, Lincoln brushed past her, closed the door, and locked it. Damn it. This was going to be harder than he thought. Did he _really_ have to be a giant bastard just to get her to cool it? He didn't want to be, it went against his nature, but let's face it: He was a disgusting piece of shit and the more she did this, the more he wanted her. If he didn't shake her, he'd wind up losing his mind and doing her.

After pissing, Lincoln went into the hall. Luan smiled. "Linc!"

"Move, bitch," he said, shoulder checking her as he passed.

Luan gawked, her jaw dropping to her chest. Why, that little...

She shook her head. She got moody too when she was randy, and Lincoln _had_ to be randy for her, because she'd seen at least three erections in his pants since yesterday, the last one just now. It almost jabbed her as he passed. She wished it had.

Is...is he playing hard to get?

Luan had a revelation. No, he wasn't. He was in denial. He didn't want to admit he wanted to sink himself into her warm, wet, inviting body. An evil grin spread across her face. Alright, Lincoln Loud, I guess I'll just work _ten times_ as hard.

Oh, yes she would.

Come hell or high water, they were sleeping together before Monday.

* * *

After breakfast, Lynn grabbed her bat and ball and headed off to Ronceverte Park, intending to find someone to play with. Lincoln, the only one who played sports with her, was busy being a dick, which didn't make sense. Lincoln was a nice guy. Today, though, he was being an obnoxious bastard. Oh well. Everyone wakes up on the wrong side of the bed now and then.

She reached the park fifteen minutes after leaving the house. Kids ran wild on a playground while their bored mothers looked on. A bunch of guys were playing Frisbee in a grassy field, and a black family was clustered around a group of picnic tables, barbecuing. She walked around, hoping to bump into someone she knew, but the only face that was even vaguely familiar belonged to some dork with red hair and glasses. Did they go to school together? That had to be it. Maybe...

"Hey, Lynn!" a familiar voice called out, and Lynn cringed. Son of a _bitch_.

Putting on a smile, Lynn turned. Amber Paulson was coming over, wearing tight jeans and a black shirt that stopped just above her naval. Lynn's eyes lingered for much longer than she meant them too. "How's it going?" she croaked when Amber walked up.

"Alright," Amber said, "I was just out taking a walk when I saw you and I was like 'oh, shit, it's Lynn Loud.'"

"Yup," Lynn said, "it's me."

"What are you up to?"

Lynn shrugged. "I was just looking for someone to play ball with." She held up her bat and ball.

"Let's go!"

Lynn blinked. "Huh?"

"I said let's go. I'm bored as shit."

Lynn swallowed hard. She was having the thoughts again, and she wanted to run from them, but looking into Amber's clear eyes, she also wanted to embrace them.

"Alright," she grinned. "You any good?"

"A little."

"You pitch," Lynn said. They were walking through a stand of trees to an expanse of field.

"Alright. Your funeral."

That shocked a chuckle out of Lynn. "You think?"

Amber shrugged. "Maybe. And maybe you're better at baseball than you are at football." She nudged Lynn's ribs to show she was kidding. Even that small contact made Lynn's heart flutter.

"Yeah? We'll see."

And see they did: Of five pitches, Lynn only hit two, the crack of the bat against the ball washing away her anxiety. She missed two in a row; the last time, she swung hard and spun, falling to the ground with a high-pitched "Whoa!"

Amber covered her mouth and laughed so hard she doubled over. Blushing, Lynn got to her feet and brushed herself off. "You're good at falling down," Amber said, "I'll give you that."

Blushing even harder, Lynn lifted the bat. "Throw another."

"Any more and you'll break your neck," Amber said. She came over, took the bat from Lynn, and shoved the ball into her chest. "Let's switch."

"Alright," Lynn said. "Your funeral."

"Ooooh. Big shit talker."

Lynn got into position and wound up. Amber took a swinger's stance, and Lynn's throat went dry at the sight of her fleshy hips. Her hands ached to touch them...

"Come on, Loud," Amber said, swinging the bat, "show me what you don't got."

Grinning, Lynn threw the ball: Amber swung, the bat cracked, and the ball flew high into the sky. Lynn, pressing her hand to her forehead, watched it disappear into a dense stand of trees.

Damn. She was cute _and_ good.

"Nice job," Lynn teased, turning. "You hit my ball into the next state over."

"Oh, don't be a baby," Amber said, coming over. "Let's go get it."

"That thing's _gone_."

"You're a pessimist or something," Amber said, brushing past Lynn. The way her heart-shaped butt moved under those jeans...it was enough to drive a girl crazy.

"Where are you going?"

"To get your ball," Amber said, turning and walking backwards. "You gonna stay here and throw yourself a pity party or are you coming with me?"

Lynn sighed. "Wait up!"

They walked side-by-side into the forest, the treetops blocking out most of the sunlight. Inside, it was a good ten degrees cooler, and slimy moss covered everything. It looked like one of those dumb fantasy movies Lincoln liked so much. Only creepier.

"You know, don't worry about it," Lynn said, "I have a bunch more at home."

"Come on," Amber said. "I feel bad I lost your ball."

"No, really, it's fine. We'll never find it in here."

"You don't know if you don't try," Amber said over her shoulder.

Fine. Whatever.

A narrow path wound through the brush, bending around a giant boulder spray painted with names and dates. BILLY 88, BJ+AH 1995, a giant swastika...a penis.

"It kind of pisses me off that people do that," Amber said, stepping over a fallen branch that lay across the path.

"Yeah, it's bullshit," Lynn said absently, picking her way over the same branch.

"Like, why do you have to fuck up nature? Go write that stuff on a dumpster or something." Ahead, the path turned into three. The trees fell away until they were few and far between. Between them was tall, grass. The earth was wet and spongey. Frogs croaked. Bugs whined.

"You know, Loud," Amber said, putting her hands on her hips, "I think you were right. Fuck this."

She turned. "I still feel bad, though, so I tell you what: I'll give you one of _my_ balls."

"You're fine," Lynn said. And yes she was. God, Lynn wanted to kiss her so bad. She didn't care if it was wrong or disgusting or anything else.

"No, I'm giving you one of my balls. I lost your ball, so I'm replacing it. I only live a couple blocks away. We'll be there in, like, ten minutes. Well, twenty, since we're in the middle of nowhere."

"Alright," Lynn said. Amber passed by, and Lynn fell in behind her, openly looking at her butt and the bare small of her back: The dimples at the base of her spine were so sexy Lynn had to take a deep breath. She felt herself start to dampen, and quickly readjusted herself so that her underwear wasn't sticking in the cleft of her crotch.

"What other sports do you play?" Amber asked as they emerged into the daylight.

"All of them," Lynn said.

"All the sports?"

"For the most part."

"Even the lame ones?"

"Pfft. What sport's lame?"

"I don't know," Amber said. "Croquet?"

Lynn stopped. "Yeah," she said, hurrying to catch up, "croquet's pretty sucktastic."

Amber snorted. "Sucktastic, I like that."

 _And I like_ you, Lynn thought.

* * *

"Hey, Linc, wanna watch a comedy video with me?"

"You wanna leave me alone?"

Lincoln was sitting on the couch. A boring movie was on TV. He was watching it but not paying attention. He checked his phone, but Clyde hadn't texted him back. If he didn't within the next ten minutes, Lincoln was going to jump on his bike and go out alone. To the park, the arcade, the hardware store...anywhere Luan was not.

Luan stepped in front of the TV and held her arms out like Jesus on the cross. Her eyes danced with malicious glee, and the corners of her mouth were turned up in a smug little grin. "You don't want to spend time with your sister?" she asked.

"Nope," Lincoln said, "I want my sister to move."

She leaned forward and rolled her hips. "Come make me."

Lincoln started to get up but stopped. Nope. That's what she wanted, him to put his hands on her. That's what he wanted too.

"Whatever," he said, picking up his phone and logging into Facebook. He scrolled down his newsfeed but it was stuffed with the same shit it always was. Cat videos, political arguments, vaguely racist relatives. Ugh. Why are people so annoying? He got the urge to chuck the phone across the room (or at Luan's head), but resisted it. If his phone broke he was fucked.

"Come on, Linc," Luan said, coming over and dropping onto the couch next to him. "What's the matter?"

He fought to keep from looking at her. Keep your head down, Lincy. Don't give the evil bitch the satisfaction. His neck quivered, his face twitched. He broke down and looked. Her blouse was slightly unbuttoned, the fabric pulled away from her chest, and...sweet mother of Jesus, he could see her breast! His eyes widened and his jaw snapped open. Luan crossed her legs and grinned at him. "What's _that_ look for?"

 _Nerves of steel, nerves of steel, nerves of steel._

"I-I just can't believe you're still bugging me. Take a hint."

She grabbed his hand and threaded her fingers through his. "But Lincoln, I want to spend time with my brother. Even if he _is_ PMSing."

Her hand was soft and warm and smooth. His heart thudded, and he yanked away. "Well, I don't want to spend time with my sister."

Luan drew her legs up onto the couch and leaned forward, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Yes you do. You're just in denial."

Lincoln ripped away and jumped to his feet, his penis starting to waken. "Gotta go."

He raced upstairs, almost knocking Leni down as she descended. "What's wrong, Lincy?"

"Gotta poop!" Lincoln called back, darting into his room. Leni doubted he _really_ had to poop. If he did, he wouldn't be going into his bedroom.

At the bottom of the stairs, she saw Luan sitting on the couch, and her brow furrowed. _You have something to do with this._

Leni walked up to the back of the couch and bent over. Luan was placidly watching the screen. "What's up with Lincy? He's acting strange."

Luan shrugged. "I don't know. His time of the month, I guess."

"I think you know more than you're letting on."

Luan looked at her. "What's your problem, Leni? Ever since yesterday you've been acting like..."

"No problem," Leni said coldly, standing. "I just want to make sure my brother, whom I love, is okay."

Upstairs, Leni knocked on Lincoln's door, and it opened. "Hey," he said, coming out. "What's up?"

"Are you okay?"

Lincoln blinked. "Yeah, sure, fine, I was just going to ride my bike."

"Oh," Leni said, "okay. Is...?" She hesitated. Might as well get it out in the open. "Is Luan bothering you?"

Lincoln swallowed. "Yeah, you know, normal sister stuff. I gotta go."

He fled down the stairs, and Leni watched him. Maybe she _was_ overreacting.

In the living room, Luan glanced over her shoulder as he passed. "Where you going?"

"Out," Lincoln said.

"Oh, I'll come with you."

"No you won't."

He practically ran through the kitchen and out the back door, then around the side of the house to where his bike was chained to a pipe. He unlocked it with trembling fingers, hopped on, and pedaled off, looking over his shoulder.

Luan was not there.

Whew.

Nice try, bitch, but I'm Lincoln Loud, and I have nerves of steel.

Luan watched from the front window as Lincoln sailed by on the sidewalk. Soon, Lincoln, we'll have sex. I want it, you want it, why fight it?

She _did_ like the teasing, though.

It was making her _wet_.

* * *

Amber Paulson lived in a tiny house with blue siding and white trim on a side street four blocks north of the park. The front yard was boxed in by a chest-high chain-link fence and dotted with lawn ordainments. Garden gnomes, pink flamingos, a gazing ball on a faux marble pedestal.

"My grandma," Amber explained as she opened the front gate. "She likes all that stuff."

"You live with your grandma?" Lynn asked.

"Yeah, my mom's in jail and I don't know about my dad."

"I'm sorry," Lynn said.

Amber shrugged. "Whatever. Shit happens. Let's get you that ball."

They followed a flagstone walk to a covered porch laden with potted plants and wind chimes that tinkled in the breeze. Amber produced a key from the pocket of her (tight...so tight) jeans and opened the door. Inside, Lynn looked around a small, cozy living room. The furniture looked like it came from the seventies: The couch was a wild splatter of brown pixels with a crotched throw blanket over the back. An armchair faced a boxy television set. Framed photos hung on the walls. The smell of Ben-Gay was heavy in the air, a smell Lynn was familiar with. The house felt...empty. "Is your grandma here?" Lynn asked.

"Nah," Amber said, "she's at the church. Where she always is. If they had two more volunteers like her they could take over the world. My room's this way." She led Lynn down a short hall to an open door. Amber's room was much like Lynn's own: A neatly made bed, sports posters on the wall, a dresser crammed with trophies. A basketball sat in the middle of the floor. A football lie near the closet door.

"This is it," Amber said, "home."

"It's nice," Lynn said.

"Thanks." Amber said. She crossed to a dresser, opened a drawer, and took out a baseball. "Catch."

She tossed it, and Lynn caught it.

"You're not bad in close quarters," Amber said, dropping onto her bed. She stretched, and Lynn's eyes crawled over her supple body. She coughed and blotted her sweaty palms on her gym shorts.

"You wanna sit down?" Amber asked. "You're making me nervous standing there like that."

Lynn swallowed and sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, facing away.

"This town is boring," Amber said, yawning. "What do _you_ do for fun?"

Lynn shrugged. "Not much. Play sports."

"That's all?"

Lynn thought. What else _did_ she do? Nothing, really.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Not bad." Amber sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. Her leg was touching Lynn's, and Lynn's heart beat a crazy tempo. "About all there _is_ to do here, I guess."

"Yeah," Lynn said. She barely resisted the urge to put her arm around Amber's shoulders and kiss her luscious lips. "I gotta go."

She stood.

"What? Come on, you just got here!"

"I'm sorry," Lynn said, "I-I..." she couldn't think of a good excuse.

Amber sighed. "You're the only cool person in this town and you're going to flake."

"I'm sorry, I..."

"It's fine," Amber said. She got up and stood before Lynn, a vision of perfection. She was slightly taller but their lips almost totally aligned. "You can go if you want." She leaned in, and her lips brushed Lynn's. Lynn's heart sputtered to a stop and Amber's tongue darted into Lynn's open mouth.

Recovering, Lynn kissed her back, finally grabbing those beautiful, fleshy hips and pulling the other girl closer. Amber's hands ran through Lynn's hair and along her cheeks. Lynn's center turned to jelly, and she felt herself starting to leak.

Amber rested an arm on each of Lynn's shoulders and broke the kiss, leaning back with a smile on her face, her cheeks looking as red as Lynn's felt.

"You still want to go?"

Sucking in her lips to keep from smiling like an idiot, Lynn shook her head.

"Good," Amber said, "because I don't want you to."

* * *

Clyde wasn't home, so Lincoln biked to the park, shifting in his seat to accommodate the erection he'd developed as his traitor mind called up images of Luan's breast. He imagined how it would feel under his hand, and his penis slammed against the crotch of his pants, trying to get out. It would be warm and fleshy, the skin smooth. How would the areola feel? The nipple?

 _Don't fucking worry about it._

By the time he got to the park, he was so hard it hurt, and he was sure that if he got off his bike and tried to stand, he'd poke someone's eye out, so he followed one of the bike paths through the forest and along the river. At one point he saw a man in overalls sitting against a tree and smoking a cigarette, a fishing pole in his hands. Fishing. That sounded like fun. Cast your hook into the water and sit there while you wait for something to nibble and smoke cigarettes and don't think about your sister's body. Fun. Loads of fun. The air was warm. He wondered what the water felt like. He could use a swim. Just strip down to his underwear and _breast_ stroke along and not wonder what Luan's tongue tasted like. He was starting to get tired. He should stop for a chest – er, rest.

When he reached the end of the trail, he followed a narrow paved road back to Park Street, and headed west. His groin ached, his head spun. He could think only of Luan's breast and her legs and her butt. Ahhhh. He was losing the battle! Just like he knew he would...just like he secretly hoped he would.

He needed to get home and jack off. If he didn't relieve the pressure, he would explode...all over his sister.

He pedaled as fast as he could, the wind rushing past his head. Hurry, hurry, hurry, gotta blast!

When he reached his house twenty minutes later, he dumped his bike along the side of the house and hurried into the backyard, where he froze. In his absence, someone had set up a pink inflatable pool. Luna was sitting in it, her arms resting on the side. Lori laid on a towel nearby. Lana and Lola splashed around, Lola admonishing Lana for getting her hair wet. Leni was asleep in a lawn chair, her mouth slightly open and a ribbon of drool hanging from her bottom lip. He realized his erection was clearly visible, so he bent and covered his crotch with his hands.

"Hey, Linc!" Luan said from behind him, and he spun so quickly that he nearly fell over. She was wearing a pink two-piece bikini that was a size too small. Her stomach was flat, her flesh smooth and milky. Her breasts strained against her top, and as she passed, he noticed that her bottoms had given her a wedgie...on both ends. "You up for a swim?" she asked in a seductive tone. In her eyes, Lincoln saw one word: _Checkmate_.

"N-No. I-I-I gotta go. Pee. I gotta go pee."

He fled into the kitchen and through the living room, fighting the urge to look back. Upstairs, he slammed his door and sat. He was _this_ close to splitting his pants. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. If this is what she wanted, fine. He'd go down there, bend her over the picnic table, and fuck her in front of everyone. Right up her ass. Fitting. For an asshole.

Stupid Luan.

Shaking with rage and excitement, he slammed his fist against his leg. Calm down. Whack off and you'll be able to think more clearly.

Standing, Lincoln whipped off his pants and laid down, wearing only his socks, underwear, and shirt. In position, he started to pull down his underwear when the door opened and Luan came in, a giant smile on her face. Lincoln jumped. "Luan! What are you doing?"

Leaning against the door, she grinned. "I was just coming to see if you wanted to come down for a swim, but I see you're...busy." She bit the bottom of her lip, her eyes flooding with lust. Lincoln's erection throbbed against his covering hands.

She started coming forward, and Lincoln twitched. "Luan, look..."

Ignoring him, she climbed onto the bed and crawled toward him, her eyes burning. He didn't move as she mounted him, her barely clad _thing_ rubbing against _his_ barely clad _thing_ , sending pinpricks of sensations into his nerve endings. Her face hovered inches from his own.

"Luan," Lincoln moaned miserably, "please..."

She pressed her finger to his lips. "Shhh."

"But you're my..."

"Linc," she said, pressing the tip of her nose against his; the movement caused her to rub against his boner again, and he trembled, "don't worry about that. Just...listen to your body."

Taking his face in her hands, she tilted her head and kissed him, her tongue boldly entering his mouth. He was lightheaded, his dick throbbing against her. He ran his own tongue against the bottom of hers, and she shivered. She slid herself against him, and he moaned. There was not much separating them: He could feel his head slipping along her sweet divide, and hot passion burst across his brain. He grabbed her by her hips and pulled her closer. The kiss broke; she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of her neck. She was making noises in the back of her throat: Purrs, sighs, grunts.

Lincoln laced his hands across the small of her back and held her as she rubbed herself against him faster. His heart was slamming and he could feel his orgasm gathering deep in the pit of his stomach. He kissed the soft skin of her neck. The salty taste of sweat filled his mouth, and he quivered. She was going faster still, grunting and uttering wordless sounds of pleasure. His underwear was damp with his precum and her fluid. He could more easily feel her now, feel the head of his dick rubbing between the parted folds of her sex. The friction was driving him crazy. He was approaching the edge and trying to hold back because it felt _so_ good.

Luan cried out through clenched teeth, and he could feel her beginning to tremble with climax. _That_ pushed him over the edge. Gritting his teeth, his eyes narrowing to slits, he felt his penis swell...then burst, pumping sticky warmth into his briefs. Luan jumped, having felt it, and bit his shoulder to keep from screaming. For a brief moment, she was a quivering, quaking mass of orgasm, her toes curling and her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Then she rolled off and laid next to Lincoln, her heart pounding, her temples pounding, and her lung aching.

" _That_ didn't take long," she said with a giggle. She glanced over at her brother. He was sitting there, his head tiled back, breathing heavily through his nose. His face was the cutest shade of red she had ever seen. It was almost like a fire truck.

And speaking of fire truck, his hose still tented the crotch of his soaked undies. Luan smiled at it and reached out, touching it, the warm, wet feeling of their mingled passion making her stomach flutter.

"We're going to regret this," Lincoln said.

"Why?" Luan asked.

"Because...we're brother and sister."

Luan shrugged. "So?"

"This kind of thing might ruin our relationship."

She laughed. "It's just sex, Linc. It's not like we're getting married. Lighten up."


	5. Luan Gets Her Way

Lynn Loud walked home on a cloud, her bat swung over her shoulder and his eyes hazy with something like love. She whistled as she walked, her step light and springing; her mind was filled with visions of Amber Paulson, her lips tasted like Amber's lips, and her heart beat (even now) in time with hers.

 _I'm a lesbian,_ Lynn thought as she turned onto Franklin Avenue. Her house was a block up; she could see the pitched roof now. She smiled. She was a lesbian and she didn't care because she just had the most wonderful time with the most beautiful girl she had ever met. If that was wrong, Lynn didn't want to be right.

She paused at the front door, taking a deep breath. It was going to be hard going in there when the only place she wanted to be was in Amber's arms. Tomorrow, Lynn reminded herself, they had plans to meet tomorrow.

Opening the door, Lynn went in and leaned her bat in a corner. The living room was empty, the house eerily silent. Through the sliding glass door in the kitchen, she caught a flash of movement and went to it. Her siblings had set up the pool and were currently enjoying it. Leni was curled up asleep on a lawn chair, Lori was face-down on a towel, Lana, Lola, and Lisa were splashing each other in the pool, Lola looking perturbed at her hair being wet, Luna was resting under the shade of a tree, and Lincoln was chasing Luan with a bucket full of water, both of them smiling and looking happy. Lynn went onto the patio just as Lincoln splashed Luan.

"Damn it, Lincoln!" she squealed. "You're always making me _wet!_ "

"Yeah, well, you make things _hard_ on me too!"

It really _was_ a beautiful day. Lynn sat down the back step and watched her siblings, her mind drifting back to Amber's room.

"Hey, Lynn!" Luan said.

"Hey," Lynn said. Lincoln went back to the pool and filled up his bucket again. "I see Lincoln's not being a dick anymore."

Luan shrugged. "Sometimes dicks just need to relieve their stress."

Lincoln came up behind Luan, the bucket posed. Lynn saw him coming. "Lincoln, don't you...!"

He did: Water splashed across Luan's back, some of it hitting Lynn in the face and soaking her shirt and hair. She wiped her eye. "You little _bastard!"_ she laughed.

"I'll handle this," Luan said. She turned and went after Lincoln, who fled, laughing.

Shaking her head, she checked her phone and her heart bounced when she saw she had a text from Amber. "Heyyy."

Lynn texted "Hey" back with two smiley faces. She sat her phone in her lap and looked back up in time to see Luan grab Lincoln from behind and swing him around. Wow. Either Luan was stronger than Lynn thought, or Lincoln was _lighter_ than she thought.

"Let go!" Lincoln laughed, thrashing.

"Not until you promise to stop splashing people, mister."

"No!"

"Alright." She took two steps, supporting his weight entirely, before tumbling over, her grip on Lincoln loosening. He popped up.

"That was pathetic!" he said, leaning over her to gloat.

Her hand snaked out and grabbed his ankle. His face went wide and he pinhweeled his arms to keep his balance. "No! Let go!"

Smirking, Luan jerked, and Lincoln went down, landing hard on his ass with a pained cry. "You bitch!"

Luan got to her knees and pushed him over, then got on top of him, her knees on either side. For a moment Lynn thought she was going to punch him in the face, but instead she leaned in and kissed him: Lynn was pretty sure she caught a flash of tongue.

"What the fuck?"

She sat forward, her arms resting on her legs. Luan pulled away, pushed Lincoln's head down, and got up. She turned, and Lincoln reached out and grabbed her ass. She let out a squeal and jumped. "Pervert!" she laughed.

Lynn looked around. No one else was seeing this? Really?

Her phone buzzed, and she jumped. She snatched it and read Amber's text. "I miss you."

Heart-pounding, Lynn got up and went inside, her siblings, and whatever they had going on, totally forgotten.

* * *

It wasn't until dinner that Lincoln Loud felt the first rush of shame. Shame not because of what he had done with his sister, but shame that he didn't care, shame that he wanted to do it again and again and again. Sitting at the table across from Luan, who kept rubbing his leg with her bare foot, it hit Lincoln that they had practically had sex. Sure, they were both clothed, but what _else_ could you call it? He waited to feel awful about it, but instead he felt himself getting hard as he remembered the feeling of Luan grinding desperately against him, at the sounds she made, at the way her body quivered as she held her close, sucking her neck and cumming with her. _That_ bothered him, because she was his sister, and he knew, _knew_ , that they were playing with fire, and you know what they say about playing with fire: You get burned.

But being burned felt _sooo_ good.

He was so caught up in looking at Luan, and smiling at Luan, and flirting with Luan, that he didn't notice Leni frowning at him, and at Luan, her eyebrows lowered. She picked at her food, a tight knot of anxiety in her stomach. Swallowing was hard, and no matter what she put into her mouth (bread, meat, vegetables), it tasted like cardboard. The way the two of them had been acting all afternoon, like goofy adolescent lovebirds, bothered Leni deeply. What if Luan didn't treat Lincy right, the way he _deserved_ to be treated? What if she was a bitch and she beat him up and abused him?

That was ludicrous, though. Luan wouldn't do that. Sure, you can never _really_ know, but Leni was, like, 99 percent sure that she wouldn't. Those weren't odds she liked.

 _With me, it would be 100 percent..._

That thought froze her. With _me?_

She cast a glance at her brother, the cute, boyish little puppy dog, so trusting and loyal and sweet and cute, and her heart fluttered.

No, she told herself firmly. It wasn't right. Her stomach pinched, and she pushed her plate away.

"Can I be excused?" she asked.

"Sure, honey," her dad said.

She took her plate to the trash, scraped it, and then sat it in the sink. Under the table, she got a glimpse of Luan rubbing Lincoln's leg with her foot, and unconsciously pursed her lips.

He looks so _happy_ though, she thought later, as she sat on her bed. Lincoln was usually so tightly wound that you could see it in his eyes. All afternoon, since coming back from riding his bike (or at least since Leni woke up in the lawn chair), he'd been carefree and smiling, his face absolutely _glowing_. That, of course, was because of Luan. Though Leni wouldn't admit it even to herself, she was jealous it wasn't because of _her_.

She hugged her pillow and sighed. She loved Lincoln in so many different ways, even, she was beginning to suspect, in ways that were wrong. In the end, she wanted him to be happy. If that meant he was happy playing boyfriend-girlfriend with Luan, fine. But if Luan hurt him...Leni would hurt her.

A knock came at the door. "Yeah?"

It opened, and who should stick her head in but Luan herself.

 _Perfect,_ Leni thought.

"Hey," Luan said hesitantly, "I...can you do something for me?"

"What?" Leni asked, fighting, and succeeding, to keep an edge out of her voice.

Luan came in, a piece of paper clutched in her hand, and crossed the room. "Do you think...you can do my hair like this?"

Leni took the paper and looked at the picture. "Sure," she said, "it'd look _super_ cute on you." She wasn't lying, it would.

"Thanks!" Luan beamed.

"Come over here," Leni said, getting up and leading Luan to the vanity. Luan sat, and Leni got to work, humming as she did.

"Since I'm helping you, can you help me?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Well," Leni said, "I've been practicing the talk I'm going to give to the girl Lincoln winds up dating, and I want you to hear it."

In the mirror, Luan's brow furrowed. "Talk?"

"Yep," Leni said. "Sooner or later a girl's going to like Lincy because he's the greatest, and I want her to know a few things."

Luan suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Do you want to hear it?"

"Sure," Luan muttered.

"Alright," Leni said, "here goes: I love my brother. He is the most precious thing in the world to me. He's kind, trusting, loyal, considerate, and sensitive. Any girl he gives the time of day to is luckier than she knows...luckier than she has any right to be. If you hurt him –" here she pulled Luan's hair much harder than she needed to, eliciting an "Ouch" from the girl – "or break his heart, or do anything else like that, I will knock your teeth down your little throat." She pulled again, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed to hateful slits. Luan looked pale. She knew Leni knew about her and Lincoln. She knew Leni was talking to her. "You treat him with the love, kindness, tenderness, and respect of a sister." She yanked Luan's hair again. In the looking glass, Luan winced, tears springing to her eyes. She made no noise, gave no protest. "Or you'll wind up lying in a pool of blood."

For a while after that, Leni silently braided her sister's hair. "How does that sound?"

"Uh...scary," Luan said, truthfully.

Leni laughed. "I just care about Lincy. A lot. I like seeing him happy. Like, I _really_ like it, and I don't want to see him sad."

When she was done, she stepped back. "You look _adorable_."

* * *

Lincoln Loud laid awake in bed, the lights on and a comic book tented on his chest. He was in only his underwear, the blanket pooled around his feet. He was waiting for Luan.

At almost midnight, she slipped into the room and he caught his breath: She was wearing her thin, silky nightgown, and he could see her nipples poking through the fabric. She wore her hair in a French braid which lay casually over her shoulder. She flashed him a sexy grin.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied, his mouth dry. His penis stirred in his briefs. "That's new."

"You like it?" she asked, stroking it with her hands.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his vocal cords were frozen, so he simply nodded.

"Good," she said, coming over and sitting on the edge of the bed, "I wanted to look good for our first time."

Lincoln gulped. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding and smiling. "A lot."

So did he.

"I just..."

"Lincoln," she said, turning and starting to crawl toward him the way she had earlier, her head lowered and her eyes wild, a puma closing in on her prey. "You get horny, right?"

Lincoln nodded.

"You want a girl to do things with, right?"

He nodded again. She was floating over his legs, her dress caressing his bare skin.

"Then why not do those things with me? I'm your sister, Linc. I love you, you love me. You won't hurt me, will you, Linc?"

"Never," he said. She lifted up and settled onto his legs. The soft flesh of her girlhood burned against his flesh, and he gasped.

"And I would never hurt you," she said, leaning forward and running her hands slowly down his chest. He twitched, his mind blanking. Her smell was everywhere. He was so hard he could barely stand it. She reached down and pressed her hand against his erection. "I love you, and I want you to feel good. _Us_ to feel good."

She looped her fingers into the band of his briefs and tugged them down. He came free, and she smiled. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She moved, pulled his underwear all the way down, and tossed them away. She scooted farther up and settled. Her heat engulfed him, and he hissed.

"And we're going to feel good," she said. Taking him in her hand, she guided him through the sweltering valley of her trembling sex, her breath catching. Her lips molded around his tip as if to pull him closer, closer. When he touched her leaking passage, she drew a sharp intake of breath. He was one right move away from parting her curtains and plunging deep into her. She was dizzy, delirious. Lincoln tensed, biting his lower lip.

"You better not cum," she teased.

"Then stop fucking around and put it in," he gasped.

Smiling, she sank herself onto him, his body piercing hers, filling her, straining against her sacred walls. Her eyes flew open and she let out a long moan. Lincoln lifted his head, his eyes hazy, his breaths shallow and evenly spaced.

In that moment, she felt filled with her brother. Not simply his body, but also his mind, heart, and spirit. They were truly and totally one. She swiveled her hips, and her muscles clenched around him. She bowed her head and lifted herself off of him, her insides cold and hollow after him, and sank down again, his rod diving into her well.

Lincoln grabbed her hips, and she fell forward onto him, her face hovering above his. He opened his eyes and stared deeply into hers as she thrusted her hips back and forth against him. He smiled at her and touched her face. She touched his, then took his hand in hers. "I love you," he said.

"I...love...you too," she hitched. God, she was already cumming, her muscles spasming and her body heaving. She bit her lip. No. Not yet. More. She wanted more.

Lincoln swelled within her then, not simply filling her but splitting her. She gasped, her walls squeezing him tighter, and then he shot into her, filling her with his life-giving seed. She let go and lost herself to total nirvana, moaning through clenched teeth and bucking against him, her thirsty well drinking him deeply.

He held her as she finished, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head. She felt so close to him, felt such love and intimacy, that tears came to her eyes, "Lincoln?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah?" he asked, caressing her cheek.

She grinned. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, and pressed her head to his chest, where she listened to the pounding of his heart. He deflated and slipped out of her, but his essence remained, coating her innermost depths.

They fell asleep that way, and it was the best sleep either of the


	6. Sunday

Sunday morning. They ate breakfast. They went to church. They sat in the pews as the priest talked about the love and mercy of God and the virgin mother and a bunch of other stuff that Lynn didn't care about; she was antsy and restless, squirming uncomfortably next to Luna, who kept giving her annoyed looks and nudging her arm. "Will you relax?" she whispered at one point, and Lynn apologized.

During the sermon, she fought the urge to check her phone, but lost, taking it out and smiling when she saw a text from Amber. "We still on, babe?"

"Yes," Lynn texted, biting her lower lip. She added a smiley face with hearts for eyes and hit SEND. She sat her phone on the pew next to her so she would see the moment Amber texted her back, and tried to focus on what the priest was saying. She kept looking down, though, and when the screen finally lit up after what felt like an eternity (but was only probably three or four minutes), she snatched it up and read it.

"I can't wait to see you."

"Show some respect," Luna said, leaning over.

"Piss off," Lynn said, texting Amber back.

Luna shook her head.

At home, Lynn changed out of her Sunday dress (God, that thing felt so unnatural) and into a jersey and a pair gym shorts. She bounded down the stairs and said, "I'm going out, bye!"

"Be careful," mom said from the couch.

"Sure thing."

Outside, she mounted her bike and pedaled to the park as fast as she could go. It was a warm, sunny day, and by the time she reached the playground, she was covered in sweat, her heart pleasantly pounding. She spotted Amber sitting on a bench, and her chest tightened. She rode over and hopped off her bike, hoping she looked as smooth as she felt.

Amber smiled beautifully. "Hey," she said, standing. To Lynn's surprise, Amber took her face in her hands and kissed her, the tips of their tongues coyly touching, moving delicately against one another. Their parted lips lingered together, Amber's fragrant breath filling Lynn's mouth and her nostrils. Lynn's eyes fluttered closed and she made a long, happy _hmmmm_ sound; she felt herself starting to dampen.

"I missed you," Amber said, socking Lynn in the arm.

"I missed you too," Lynn said, rubbing the wound: Girl hit like a fucking dump truck.

"You did?" Amber asked, smiling.

Lynn nodded. "A lot."

"Good." Amber took her hand, their fingers entwining, and led her away.

"Where are we going?" Lynn asked.

"Nowhere, really," Amber replied with a knowing little smile.

"Yeah?" Lynn asked. "That shit eating grin says otherwise."

"Whatever, Lynn Loud."

They walked through a grassy field and into a stand of forest, Lynn allowing herself to be dragged behind because she liked the view. In the forest, shafts of sunlight filtered through the laced treetops, dabbling with ground with golden coins of warmth. A wide path wound past gnarled tree trunks and dense undergrowth. To their right, the land sloped up toward the river.

"You go to church this morning too?" Amber asked casually. They were walking side-by-side now.

"Yeah," Lynn said. "St. Anthony's."

"You're a Catholic?"

"I guess," Lynn said, "I really don't believe in God. I mean I never really thought about it."

"I don't," Amber said. "But whatever. I mean, if you read up on it it doesn't make a lot of sense."

The path curved to the left around a humped rise of land and angled up, crossing a rock-strewn stream over a little wooden bridge. They stopped and looked over the side. Water pooled and trickled over time worn stones.

"That's really pretty," Amber said.

Lynn swallowed. "You're really pretty."

Amber looked at her and laughed. "You're such a girl," she said, squeezing Lynn's hand.

"I mean...you're fine as hell, baby."

Amber laughed again. "I never knew you were a comedian."

"I get it from my sister," Lynn said.

"Oh? Is she a comedian?"

Lynn shrugged. "She _thinks_ she is."

"Well, that's mean," Amber said. The path was steadily climbing now, trees pressing close to its flanks.

"You should hear some of her stuff." Her mind suddenly flashed back to yesterday in the backyard, her and Lincoln French kissing. At least it looked that way. Then again, Lynn was sitting on the back step twenty feet away.

"It must be nice having such a big family," Amber said. "You guys are close, right?"

"Yeah," Lynn said, "pretty close. I mean, we're always there for each other and stuff. I know I can count on my brother or sisters when I need them."

"That's really sweet," Amber said. "I have an older brother and he's a jerk."

"I'm sorry," Lynn said.

"He just never calls me or anything, and, you know, I don't feel like I could count on him like you can count on your siblings."

Lynn squeezed Amber's hand tighter, and they looked at each other, a shared smile flickering across their faces. Up ahead, a small trail branched off of the main path and disappeared into the forest. Amber led her up it, the terrain getting steeper. Lynn was starting to breathe heavily. "Where are we going?" Lynn asked.

"You'll see," Amber said.

Lynn sighed exaggeratedly.

"You can always let go of my hand and go home," Amber said, flashing a mischievous grin.

"Not a chance," Lynn replied, squeezing Amber's hand as hard as she could. The other girl winced.

"Ow, you bitch," she laughed, and squeezed back. Lynn's knuckles cracked and she hissed over clenched teeth.

The path eventually crested the summit of a hill. At the top, a wide grassy meadow surrounded by trees overlooked the river; in the distance, the pastureland to the east of Royal Woods rolled away to the horizon, hills staggered like frozen waves. The sky above was blue and dotted with puffy clouds. "Wow," Lynn said, "it's beautiful."

"Isn't it?" Amber asked. "This is where I come to be alone." She led Lynn over to the where the land sharply curved down to the river bank far below. They sat and gazed together into the distance, they hands joined.

"You really like nature, huh?" Lynn asked.

"Yeah, I do," Amber said. "I mean, look how beautiful it is."

Lynn nodded and turned. Amber was staring at her with a little smile, her crystalline eyes sparkling. "Nature is _very_ beautiful."

She leaned in, and Lynn met her half way, her hand fluttering to her lover's cheek. Their noses brushed and their lips met, their tongues entwining just as their hands had, touching and caressing with soft tenderness. They tumbled backwards into the fluffy grass, and lay on their sides, kissing and touching each other, the pressure rising in Lynn's stomach until she was delirious with passion. She touched Amber's stomach and it trembled under her palm. Amber kissed her harder, more desperately, and Lynn slipped her hand underneath Amber's shirt and trailed her fingertips up warm, creamy flesh. When she cupped the other girl's bare breast in her hand, they both shuddered with pleasure. It was soft yet firm, full yet pert.

Amber broke the kiss and looked into Lynn's eyes. "Have you ever...done anything like this before?"

Lynn shook her head.

Amber grinned. "I'm your first?"

Lynn nodded, blushing.

Amber straddled her, pinning her between her knees, and ran her hands up and down Lynn's chest, Lynn biting her bottom lip as Amber's hands brushed her erect nipples through her shirt. She leaned in and planted a burning kiss on the corner of Lynn's mouth. "Just lay back and enjoy it, beautiful." She slid down, and Lynn took an involuntary breath when she felt her shorts being pulled down. The grass tickled her bare bottom and the warm air wafted over her fevered garden. When Amber kissed her stomach, Lynn shivered. When she trailed her tongue down her pubic mound toward the hood of her sex, she dug her heels into the soft earth. She cried out when that tongue lightly dipped into the crease between her folds. At the same time, she felt a finger lovingly trace her opening, and every muscle in her body clenched. Her body was shaking, her mind racing. She wanted that finger to slip into her, to push back her lips and massage her innermost walls, to fill her and tease her closer to the edge of climax in a come hither gesture. Come here, come closer, fall over the edge...

She yearned for it so hard that her body tightened. She _needed_ it. She needed to be led into the valley of pleasure, to be brought to the end of the earth and then dragged over the precipice. She'd never needed anything more. She'd never _wanted_ anything more. So close. It was so close. Now it was just inside her, following the O of her soul.

When that finger _did_ enter her, she grabbed a handful of grass and sucked her lips in to keep from crying out, a faint moan escaping anyway. Her body shuddered and she rocked slightly from side to side. Hot lips brushed her hooded clit, and she moaned loudly.

Amber slipped another finger in, and Lynn purred as she was filled. "That feels so good," she said.

The tip of Amber's tongue danced across her clit, and she could feel her orgasm gathering in her loins like a summer storm.

Those fingers were getting faster, kicking sparks of pleasure into Lynn's stomach. She was gasping, panting, bucking her hips. She slapped her hands to her face and dug her fingers in as she felt herself starting to come, her body hitching.

"That's right, baby girl," Amber said huskily, "let it out. Cum for me."

Lynn cried out as it hit her full force, her back arching and her hips thrusting. Time stopped for a moment, and her heart, her soul, and her love flooded from her in a rush.

Amber took her in her arms and held her as they both caught their breath. Lynn's mouth was dry. She tried to work up saliva to wet it but she had none. "How was _that_?" Amber asked, twirling a strand of Lynn's hair around her finger.

Lynn could only laugh. "Incredible."

* * *

There was an old song Luan heard on the radio once, one of those Motown doo-wop numbers from the sixties or seventies that was called, she thought, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." She woke Sunday morning with it echoing through her head. Her heart throbbed and her stomach was in knots. She showered, trying to ignore the strange sensations rippling through her body, and had convinced herself she was mistaken until she went into the hall and Lincoln was there, his arms crossed over his bare chest. She stopped dead in her tracks. He grinned slyly. "How'd you sleep?" he asked.

She opened her mouth to reply, but uttered a goofy giggle instead. "Best sleep ever."

When she came awake, she was snuggled in her brother's arms, his face buried in her hair. She scooted closer, her skin thrilling at the warm touch of his, and stayed that way for a long time, simply enjoying his presence

"Yes it was," he said.

She wetted her lips and beat back the urge to kiss him right there. None of their sisters were currently in the hall, but with eleven (well, nine not counting them) people hanging around, faces had a way of...popping up, especially Lucy. She leaned close to him and said, "Do you wanna have sex after church?"

"Why not have sex _in_ church?"

Shocked laughter escaped her throat. "You wanna go to hell? Because that's how you go to hell."

"Hell ain't a bad place to be...as long as you're there with me." He winked, and her heart jittered.

"You're pretty smooth when you want to be, Lincoln Loud."

He shrugged one shoulder. "I guess it's just the woman in you that brings out the man in me."

A hot blush touched Luan's cheeks. "I'm going to bring something out if you don't stop flirting with me."

Lincoln leaned one arm against the wall. "Bring it out. We have time."

She shook her head and bopped him on his forehead. "Later," she said, brushing past him and looking over her shoulder. Lincoln's eyes met hers, and her heart clutched again.

In her room, she put on her Sunday dress and her nice shoes (no underwear because I'm _naughty_ ). She was just doing the buckle on the left one when it hit her: She fooled around and fell in love.

With Lincoln.

That thought gave her pause.

She was in love.

With her brother.

Damn it.

She hung her head and drew a sigh. That wasn't supposed to happen: She just wanted to get laid and keep loving Lincoln the way she had before, not literally _fall in love_ with him. Family love was safe and placid, like the surface of a mountain lake. Love-love was like a storm-tossed sea. Family love, the love a sister has for her brother, was familiar. The emotions bubbling inside of her now were not, and they scared her.

On the ride to church, she sat in the back, behind Lincoln. She flicked his ear and he swatted her hand away. "Don't be annoying," he said, turning.

"Me? Annoying? Impossible."

"Yeah, okay."

She sat between Lola and Lana, Lincoln achingly far away. She tried to focus on the sermon, but all she could think about was the way she felt in her brother's arms the night before, him kissing the top of her head and holding her tight. That was as good as the sex that came before. Hell, it was _even better_.

It seemed like forever until they were home. In the kitchen, she was making herself a sandwich when someone wrapped their arms around her waist. "Hey," Lincoln said, kissing her neck.

"Geez, Lincoln," Luan laughed. "You startled me."

"Sorry," he said, and kissed her neck again. A pang of desire rippled through her stomach.

"Better be careful," she said, "if mom and dad walk in..."

"They're both outside," Lincoln said, his breath hot on her neck. She felt his erection pushing against her, snuggled in the cleft of her butt.

"Our sisters..." she sighed. His hands crawled over her stomach and upper thighs. They touched bare skin, then crept higher.

"They can watch," he said as his hands found her core, and she gasped. His middle finger parted her lips and slid wetly between them, slipping into her opening _juuuust_ a little. She closed her eyes and reached back to run her fingers through his hair.

"You're...dirty," she moaned.

"I know," he said.

"You're going to make your sister cum. In the middle of the kitchen."

He slipped his middle finger into her, and she melted back into him. "That's the idea."

They were so wrapped up in their passion that they didn't hear footsteps enter the kitchen...didn't see Leni standing in the threshold, her teeth bared and her fists clenched...


	7. Cries in the Night

_You knew this was happening,_ she told herself, _you were okay with it. Kind of._

Yeah, but then she _saw_ it, Lincoln kissing her neck and rubbing her between her legs, his hands no doubt slick with her disgusting slime, her head thrown back and her sighs rising until she gave a sudden body wide shudder and moaned through her teeth. Here was her cute, loyal little puppy dog finger fucking Luan in the middle of the kitchen...and it enraged her. She spun on her heels, heaving hot breaths like an angry animal, and stormed up the stairs to her room, where she had been ever since, sitting in the middle of her bed with a pillow hugged tightly to her chest, alternating between rage and despair. She was the one who really loved Lincoln. She was the one who cared for him and appreciated him. It should be _her_ down there with him.

 _No. It's not right. He's your little brother._

But she loved him, and what's more pure and beautiful than a sister's love for her brother? Luan was just a bitch in heat. The moment she got the chance, she'd jump on another dick and break Lincoln's heart. Leni would _never_ do that. She would hold him to her breast, stroke his hair, and rock him gently in her arms. That pervert bitch only wanted his penis, but Leni wanted his heart.

At dinner, she pushed her food around her plate and stole furtive glances at both of them. Making googly eyes at each other. Poor Lincoln didn't know any better, so she couldn't blame him. It was Luan. She was a monster and a bitch and she took Leni's cute, loyal puppy dog away so she could get her slut rocks off. That's all she cared about. It was enough to make Leni sick.

In bed, she lay under the covers, staring up at the ceiling and imagining the things they were probably doing right now, touching each other, kissing each other, coupling in tangled, sweaty sheets, only their joining would not be tender and passionate, it would be wild and animalistic, lacking the love and gentleness that Leni would give him. Her chest grew tight and she could barely breathe. The walls started to close in on her, so she got up and went to her vanity, where she sat and stared at her darkened outline. She had to do something. She couldn't just let Luan use and corrupt him this way.

But what was there? Crack Luan over the head with a shovel and bury her in the backyard? Frame her for a crime and see her off to jail? Tie her to a rocket and blast her to Mars? None of those ideas appealed to Leni. God, she couldn't actually kill someone, especially her sister...even if she _was_ a little bitch. Leni feared that there _was_ nothing she could do, that Luan's claws were sunk so deeply into Lincoln that extracting them would be impossible...and might even kill him. He looked so happy. He didn't know that his sister was just taking advantage of his caring, loving nature. He thought she really loved him back, but she didn't. You don't use and take advantage of someone you love, you care for them, you hold them, you do right by them. Luan was only doing right by herself.

Lincoln didn't see that, though. He was so lost in her eyes and her vagina that he was blind, dumb, and shambling like a zombie in an old movie.

An idea came to her then, and she turned it over and over again in her head, examining every square inch of it the way one might a strange and alien object found in the forest. If Luan wanted his body, fine, she could have his body and use it to get off, but Leni wanted his heart and his hand...she wanted to be there for him when Luan moved onto the next victim. And she would be. Leni was fair. She didn't mind sharing. You take, bitch, and I'll give. You suck his blood, and I will replenish his blood. Then, when you let him go to let someone else stick his dick in you, he won't drop, because I will be there to catch him.

Sighing, Leni got up and went out into the hall, stopping to listen. The house was quiet, the only sound the monotonous tick of the clock upon the wall. Moving on her tippy-toes, she went to Lincoln's room and pressed her ear against the door. Was she in there now, draining him like Dracula? Maybe. Only it wasn't blood she was after...

Taking the knob in her hand, she slowly turned it, wincing at the creak of the hinges, and peeked in. She saw Lincoln humped under the blankets, alone.

She made her decision, and slipped inside, locking the door behind her.

* * *

A soft flutter danced across his face, and he lifted his hand to knock it away, brushing something soft and warm. He pried one eye open, but his vision was blurry, so he blinked.

"Hi, Lincy," Leni said, and he started.

"Leni? What are _you_ doing here?"

Leni was lying on her side, her hand on his face. Her big brown eyes gazed longingly into his, a lopsided grin on her face: A swatch of her warm honey hair lay across her gentle throat. "I...I wanted to spend some time with you. We really haven't had a chance to in a long time and it makes me sad." She pouted her lips.

"What time is it?"

"2:30."

Lincoln closed his eyes and sighed. Two and a half hours ago Luan slipped out from under the covers and went back to her own room after making love to him. And that was the only way he could describe it: Making love. He was awake for another half hour, missing her presence, before finally lapsing into sleep.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you," Leni said, lowering her eyes. "I just...miss you."

The quiver in her voice melted Lincoln's heart. He smiled and touched her hand. "It's okay."

"Really?"

"Of course."

She put her arms around him and hugged her to her chest with a high pitched squee. Lincoln let out an _umph_ as she squeezed the air from his lungs. Her hair tickled his face and her breath was hot against his ear. He felt an involuntary stirring in his underwear, and closed his eyes in an attempt to focus on something other than his older sister, who was admittedly beautiful

"I love you so much, Lincy," she whispered. "More than anything else on this earth."

"I love you – " the words died in his throat when Leni took his earlobe between her lips and flicked it with her tongue. He froze, and she kissed his neck, her lips like satin pillows against his skin. She caressed his cheek, working her mouth up the side of his face, to the corner of his mouth.

"L-Leni?"

She licked his cheek, her tongue smooth and wet. She giggled against him. His heart was pounding. His erection tugged him.

"Leni, stop," he said without force, without conviction. She ran her tongue across his upper lip and then his teeth, her breath filling him. She swung her leg over him and looked down, her eyes filled with love.

Lincoln swallowed hard. "Leni, look, I..."

She ran her hands up and down his chest, scratching like a playful kitten. His flesh tightened and his erection throbbed against her inner thigh. It felt so good...but so wrong.

As if reading his mind, Leni said, "I know about you and Luan."

His heart stopped. At the look of distress on his face, she giggled. "It's okay. I don't mind sharing, Lincy; you're worth it."

"But – "

"She's your sister, Linc, and so am I. I love you. And I want to show you that love. I want our spirits to be joined and our hearts to be one." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I want to give you my virginity."

Lincoln took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, where he saw only love and longing, devotion and beauty. She was his sister, one of the most important people in his life. He loved her dearly, and he too wanted his spirit to be joined to hers. Smiling, he took her face in his hand and kissed her, tasting her sweet mouth and thrilling as she kissed him back, her hair tickling the sides of his face. His erection pushed against her sultry center, her heat seeping through the fabric of his underwear. She was not wearing any.

She broke the kiss, sat, her sex rubbing tantalizingly against his erection, and pulled her dress over her head. Her breasts were small and perky, her skin a milky cream color. Lincoln took them in his hands, and she squirmed against him.

"Do you like my body?" she asked.

"I _love_ your body," he replied.

She rolled her hips against him, and he shivered with delight. "Why don't you take those off, Lincy?"

She lifted just enough for him to slide his underwear down. His erection came free, pointing straight up at her as if to say 'she is mine.'

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Lincoln nodded.

Biting her lower lip, she sank herself onto him, her quivering insides wrapping tightly around him. They gasped together as she settled onto him, his rod parting her walls. She gritted her teeth together and squeezed her eyes closed. Lincoln ran his hands over her hips and stomach, over her breasts, staring with wonder, touching with shaking amazement. She clamped her hands to his and pressed them harder against her as she lifted and lowered, squeezing him between the rippling panels of her sacred well. She bowed her head as she increased her speed, a vibrating "Uhhhh" escaping her lips.

Lincoln swooned as she moved, their most intimate parts uniting in physical manifestation of their spiritual love. "Can...can I be on top?" he panted.

"Anything you want," Leni said, lifting herself off of him. The air against his throbbing iron, coated in the dripping sheen of his sister's desire, was cold. They changed positions, Leni opening her legs to him like a bride on her honeymoon, and he mounted her, his penis coming to rest between the gentle swell of her lips. She smiled up at him as she reached down and guided him to her passage. When he was there, he thrusted into her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands fluttering to his shoulders. "Yes," she moaned as he drew back and shot forward once more. "God, please!" She dug her teeth into her lower lip and drew him closer, pulling his head to her breast: The erratic sound of her heartbeat filled his head. He bared his teeth and went faster, her walls seeming to get tighter and tighter around him.

"I love you, Lincoln," she gasped, hugging him and bringing her hips up to meet his thrusts. "I love you so much. Fill me. Cum in me. Make me pregnant."

Lincoln's orgasm shot up from his deepest depths and spurted into hers. She brought her hips up, and issued a shivering moan into the top of his head as her body was wracked with spasms. He thrusted one final time, sending his last ounce as far into her womb as he could, then went limp.

She kissed the top of his head, his forehead. She lifted his chin and kissed his cheeks, his lips, his nose, lapping at him with her tongue. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..."

* * *

Lynn was awake in her bed, her hands laced across her chest and her stomach aching. She had come to terms with her sexuality, thanks to Amber (she smiled). She knew who she was now and she was okay with that. But would her _family_ be okay with it? She didn't imagine them disowning her, as they were fairly socially liberal, then again, it's easy to be socially liberal when you're insulated in the suburbs and your son or daughter isn't gay. She _did_ , however, imagine them looking at her differently, thinking of her differently. She would no longer simply be Lynn, she would be Lynn the Lesbian, a strange and exotic creature that was suddenly sitting in the living room or at the dining room table, where you can study it, examine it, watch it exist the way you can watch a giraffe or tiger in a zoo. There would always be _that_ between her and her loved ones: The fact that she was gay, that she was _something else_ , that she was apart.

She had to do it, though; she had to come out...even if her relationship with her family changed...because it is better to know where you stand than to always wonder.

Heaving a sigh, she reached for her phone. It was almost 3 in the morning. Amber was asleep. That was okay, though. Lynn went to her text messages and read them for the umpteenth time that day, her lips breaking out in a goofy smile. Next, she went to her camera album and scrolled through the pictures they had taken at the park, her soul crying out to be with its mate. Her mind went back to the love they had made in the soft grass, their naked bodies mashed together and their tongues locked in passion. Together they came. Again and again and again. They were like jackrabbits. Or teenage boys. Lynn licked her lips, closed out of the camera, and sat it on the nightstand. She put her hands under her head and stared up at the ceiling, where a moonbeam slashed through the gathered shadows like quicksilver. She closed her eyes, but they drifted open again.

She couldn't wait to get to school tomorrow. Couldn't wait for football practice. Couldn't wait to see her lover and take her hand. Ooooh, and she couldn't wait for the shower afterward. Maybe if they had enough privacy they could get frisky...

That thought made her shiver. The steam, the hot water, their wet bodies, beads of sweat and good old H2O coursing down their backs, their breasts, their thighs...

Damn it, Lynn, shut up! You're going to make yourself horny!

Too late. A ball of fire burned between her legs, and squeezed her legs to keep from blistering the wallpaper. You're a baaaaad girl, she thought, dipping her hand into the front of her shorts and rubbing slowly down her middle. But bad girls have more fun, don't they? And she – uh – was having the time of her life. Now and –oh, yeah – earlier. This was n-n-nice, but _nothing_ compared to what they – ah – were doing earlier. Touching Amber's br-east, her sizzling pus- daaaaaaamn – and kissing her neck, fingering h –uhhhhhhhhhhhhh. White heat filled her brain and she came against the palm of her hand, humping it the way she had humped her lover that afternoon, her juices bubbling forth and wetting her fingers.

Panting, she lay still for a long time, her legs before her in an M. Her mouth was dry, her heart was crashing, her thighs were sticky, the bed was wet. Oh, God, clean up, aisle three! Little Lynn came all over the place. No, use the Bounty. It's the quicker picker upper. Five time more absorbent than the leading national brand.

She grinned in the dark. She was a dork.

But that was okay, because who isn't a dork when they're in love?


	8. All That She Wants

Something was bothering Lincoln. All that morning, there was an unidentifiable _thing_ on his shoulders. At breakfast, on the long walk to school with Luan, sitting in first period and struggling to pay attention to Mrs. Johnson. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. He thought back to the night before with Leni, smiling slightly at the memory of the way she looked, the way she smelled, and the way she _felt_. It had something to do with her, he realized, but still, the more he reached for it, the more it danced mockingly away into the fog. Goddamn it, it was driving him crazy, like having a word balanced on the tip of your tongue only for it to hang on and refuse to pass your lips.

At lunch, he got his tray and sat next to Clyde. His best friend took one look at him and cringed. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Lincoln said, his brows furrowing. "Why? Do I look like I'm not?"

"You look...well, I mean...you don't look bad...you just look like you have something really heavy on your mind."

"I kind of do," Lincoln said, opening his chocolate milk and taking a long drink. "I just don't know what it is."

Clyde cocked his head. "You don't know what it is?"

Lincoln shook his head. "I have no clue. I know there's something wrong, but I just can't grasp it. Hey, you see Dr. Lopez, like, three times a day, do you think you might know how to...shake it loose or something?"

Clyde's eyes brightened up. "Do I! I know _all_ kind of techniques." He balled his fists in a display of enthusiastic joy. "This moment is pregnant with possibilities."

It hit Lincoln like a roundhouse kick to the chin.

 _I love you so much. Fill me. Cum in me. Make me pregnant._

That's what Leni said last night as he started to blow his top, pun not intended.

 _Make me pregnant_.

Lincoln's head swam. "I just remembered what it was," he said hollowly.

"Already?" Clyde asked.

"Yeah," Lincoln said, _my sister asked me to get her pregnant._

Clyde's eyes widened. "I am _good_."

For the rest of the day, those three words echoed through the corridors of Lincoln's mind, forming a continuous loop. _Make me pregnant. Make me pregnant. Make me pregnant_. Why would she say that? What they shared was special and beautiful, but...

Maybe she lost herself in the moment and it slipped out. It made sense. Things got _pretty_ intense last night. If Lincoln himself were more vocal during sex (which he wasn't, he'd discovered), he may have said something equally as strange. _Fuck me, mommy?_

Surely that was it.

Right?

* * *

In life, there are things that we want that we don't _know_ we want until suddenly we do. It wasn't until Lincoln was on top of her, staring into her eyes, that Leni knew she wanted to carry his child; she wanted his seed to foment in her womb and create new life, a life that her body would nurture and incubate for nine glorious months.

All that day, Leni turned the idea over and over in her head, getting happier and happier at the prospect until she was beaming. If Lincy made her pregnant, it would be like he was with her always. Their child would grow and she would see in it their love and devotion to one another and it would last forever and ever and ever, a constant reminder of their union. She wanted this so badly that it burned like fire in her soul. She gazed out the window, drummed her fingers on the desk, and imagined what it would be like to be big with Lincy's baby. She crossed her legs, rested her chin in her upturned palm, and wondered if it would be a boy or a girl, if it would look more like her or more like him. She hoped it was a perfect mixture of both. She sighed dreamily as she conjured faces in her mind, faces with big eyes, cute button noses, and white hair (or sometimes blonde hair).

When lunch rolled around, she sat at her usual table and ate as her friends chattered around her, talking about things that may have been important to her once, but that mattered no longer. All that she wanted, all that she needed, all that filled her heart and mind and soul and, yes, even her body, was to have Lincoln's baby growing in her womb. Then, one day, to cradle it in her arms and stare lovingly down into its eyes, feeling its warmth against her chest. Ahhhh. The vision in her head was so achingly beautiful that she never wanted to let go of it. She wanted to crawl into that dream and dwell there for all eternity, basking in the warm glow of hers and Lincoln's creation.

At the end of the day, she walked home with her head in the clouds, not sure if her feet were touching the ground and not caring. What would they name it if it was a boy? What would they name it if it was a _girl?_ Oh! What if it was _twins?_ That would be so adorable! They could dress them in matching outfits, maybe one pink and the other blue, and spend all day playing peek-a-boo with them and pinching their chubby little feet!

When she walked through the door, those dreams were dashed. Lincoln was sitting on the couch next to that bitch Luan. Sitting _very_ close. From what Leni could see, they weren't doing anything, but they didn't _have_ to do anything, simply sitting close was too much.

Luan looked up at her, and Leni felt her eyes narrow to predatory slits as hot hatred welled up within her. Luan's eyes widened slightly with fear, then her brow set. Leni drew a deep breath through flaring nostrils and let it go slowly, then went up the stairs, her teeth grinding together. In her room, she shut the door, went over to her vanity, and brought her fist down on the hard oaken surface, bottles of cold cream, perfume, and nail polish rattling, some of them falling over. In the mirror her face was the face of a psychopath, and an icepick of horror struck her heart. God, she was going crazy.

Sighing sadly, she dropped onto her bed and raised trembling hands to her face. She didn't like it, but she was still willing to share. Let Luan get her kicks while she and Lincy built something _real_. One day she would see. She would be alone and hollow, and she would realize what a beautiful thing she had and squandered. Poor, dumb bitch. Leni almost felt sorry for her.

 _Enjoy him while you can, you cunt._

That night, at dinner, Leni barely ate. She glanced at Lincoln now and then, and once, when he caught her, he gave her a weak smile that hurt her heart. Was he mad at her? Did she do something wrong? From the corner of her eye, she saw Luan looking at her, but when she turned, the little twit bowed her head.

Was she trying to turn Lincoln against her? Filling his head with malicious lies? She was, Leni decided. Seething, she stabbed her fork into her green beans, the plate clinking under the impact. Everyone glanced up at her. "You okay, sweetie?" mom asked.

"I'm fine," Leni replied tightly. Only she wasn't. She could feel her cheeks burning scarlet and she could barely breathe. Luan was trying to ruin her chances with Lincoln so she could keep fucking him until she found another boy to scratch her itching walls. Then, with no one to turn to, Lincoln would be lost and alone. Leni could see him now, curled up in his bed, his arms wrapped around his knees and his eyes staring wide into space, his heart and soul shattered, and tears came to her eyes.

"You don't sound fine," dad said.

Leni didn't reply. Instead, she pouted down at her plate, so close to breaking down and crying that she didn't trust herself to even move, much less speak.

"Honey, what's wrong?" mom asked.

Leni shook her head. Luan was going to make Lincoln stop loving her. Luan was going to keep her and Lincy from being happy and having babies. "Can I be excused?" she asked.

"Okay," mom said with a sigh.

Leni pushed away from the table and fled to her room, where she sat alone in the darkness, her tears burning hot trails down her cheeks. It wasn't fair. Why did Luan want to break her and Lincoln up? Why did she hate Leni so much? Leni tried _so_ hard to be a good big sister. She wasn't the smartest, but she made up for that by loving her family that much more. Luan didn't appreciate that., she didn't _care_ : The only thing Luan cared about was that puckered, wasted thing between her legs.

Blinking back tears, Leni curled up into a ball and hugged her pillow, imagining it was Lincoln. By the time Lori came up from dinner, she had cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Luan didn't understand. Since yesterday, Leni had been giving her dirty looks and stalking around like a sullen child whose parents had just taken away its favorite toy. When her older sister came through the door that afternoon, she fixed Luan with a withering gaze of such intense hatred (was it hatred? It sure looked like it) that Luan recoiled. Luan did her best to return the look, but didn't think she was capable of arranging her face into such a countenance...of course, up until that moment, she didn't think Leni was capable of doing so either. What's her problem?

Then, at dinner, she looked up from her plate to see Leni gazing dreamily at Lincoln, and it all clicked into place. She recalled the things Leni had said to her while she braided her hair.

 _I love my brother. He is the most precious thing in the world to me. He's kind, trusting, loyal, considerate, and sensitive. Any girl he gives the time of day to is luckier than she knows...luckier than she has any right to be. If you hurt him_ –

Then she pulled Luan's hair so tight it brought tears to her eyes.

- _or break his heart, or do anything else like that, I will knock your teeth down your little throat._

She wasn't just being overly protective of Lincoln, she was _in love_ with him!

Leni glanced at her, and she quickly looked back down at her plate. It all made sense now. Whether she loved Lincoln before Luan or after, their hearts belonged to the same boy.

Oh, great.

Luan sighed and thought back to Lincoln telling her they were playing with fire.

" _We're going to regret this,"_ he said after their first encounter, where Luan rubbed her bikini clad sex against the iron rod in his underwear. He said it was because they were brother and sister. Nope, sorry, Linc, you're wrong there: We're going to regret it for other reasons. We're going to regret it because I'm going to fall in love with you then Leni is going to fall in love with you and what did you say about relationships being ruined? You may have been right about that. I hope not, but this isn't good.

After Leni stormed off, Luan looked after her, her spirit in turmoil. Leni looked so unhappy.

"Did anything happen?" dad asked of Leni, looking around the table.

"Not that I know of," Lori replied.

Everyone else shook their heads. Except Luan. And Lincoln. He was staring sadly down at his plate, his expression one of utter sorrow, and Luan felt so bad for him that she wanted to go to him and put her arms around him. Did Leni approach him? Was there an argument? Maybe...maybe they actually _did_ something?

 _Oh, Linc, what are we going to do?_ she thought as she gazed at her little brother. You have two women who love you with their hearts, their souls, their minds – and their bodies. Could we share you? If that's what Leni wants – and if you're willing – fine. I love my sister and I don't want to see that look of pain – or that look of hatred – on her face ever again.

She would talk to Leni after she was done washing the dishes. They could sit down, open up to each other, lay all their cards on the table, and hopefully work something out.

When dinner was over, she and Luna collected all the plates and went into the kitchen. They had been doing dish duty together for six months now. One week Luan would wash and Luna would dry, then the next Luna would wash and Luan would dry. It was a system that worked well.

"You see Leni?" Luna asked as Luna started, "she looked all broken up."

"Yeah," Luan muttered, wetting the sponge and squeezing sudsy water onto a plate. "I don't know why she's sad, but it makes _me_ sad."

"Yeah," Luna said. "Lori went to talk to her. Maybe that'll help."

 _I doubt it_ , Luan thought.

Twenty-five minutes later, she dried her pruney hands on a dish towel and went upstairs, pausing at Leni and Lori's door, her stomach in knots and her heart racing. She knocked, and opened when Lori called out to her.

Lori was sitting on her bed and texting. Leni was curled into a ball on her own bed and facing away.

"Leni?" Luan asked.

"Sleeping," Lori said without looking up from her phone.

"Oh," Luan said, a mixture of relief and disappointment flooding through her. "I'll come back later." In her room, she sat on her bed and hugged herself. It was just after seven-thirty in the evening. The earliest she could go to Lincoln was midnight. Oh, she could go into his room and sit on his bed and hang out with him until she was blue in the face, but she couldn't snuggle him under the covers and lay her head on his chest and hold him tight until later, when there was little chance of someone barging in and seeing. With the way she felt, she was thinking of going in there and doing it anyway. What could anyone say?

She needed to be in Lincoln's arms, where she was safe, warm, and happy. It was funny; when she fantasized about him now, that's what she imagined, not his penis...

* * *

Lynn Loud was a mess of nerves and anxiety when she came through the door that afternoon, her gym bag slung over her shoulder and her hair still wet from the after practice show she'd taken with Amber. Oh, you could say she took it with a bunch of other girls too, but not the way she'd taken it with Amber.

The shower room was T-shaped, with shower heads lining its entire length. Lynn specifically chose one in the far right corner of the crossbar, and was delighted when the only other girl who followed was Amber.

"Good game, Loud," Amber said, slapping Lynn's bare ass so hard it stung...and sent ripples of pleasure pulsing out from her loins.

"Thanks," Lynn said, wetting her hair under the stream, her eyes darting to Amber's breasts, "you weren't so bad yourself."

"Oh, I think I was pretty awesome," Amber responded, turning on the head and hissing at the initial blast of cold water. Goosebumps crisscrossed her body, and Lynn's eyes widened. God, that was hot.

"You usually are," Lynn said, "until you're not."

"When am I not?"

Lynn touched her chin. "I don't know. I'm sure we'll see, though."

"Yeah?" Amber asked. They turned to face each other.

"Yeah," Lynn said and pursed her lips.

Amber cupped her hand, collected a little bit of water, and flung it at Lynn's face. "Hey!" Lynn cried.

"I'm _always_ awesome," Amber said.

Lynn put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "You're full of shit."

Amber lifted her eyebrows. "You weren't saying that when I was eating your pussy yesterday."

Shocked laughter bubbled up and escaped Lynn's throat. "Okay," she admitted, "you're pretty awesome at that."

Amber took a step forward and put her index finger on Lynn's chest. Lynn put her arms on her lover's fleshy hips and smiled. They kissed under the pounding of hot water, their slick bodies sliding wetly against one another. Lynn's fingers crawled over Amber's rear, grabbing handfuls of butt. Their nipples rubbed together and they sighed into each other's mouths.

"You know what?" Amber whispered into Lynn's ear as she cupped Lynn's sex in her hand.

"W-What?" Lynn asked.

Amber licked her earlobe. "You're pretty awesome too."

Lynn slipped her hand between Amber's legs and rubbed the wet flesh hidden behind her folds. Amber responded by sinking her finger into Lynn's opening, and Lynn gasped. Forehead to forehead, they rubbed each other, Amber cumming first, then Lynn, their bodies quivering.

They both jumped when a hard voice spoke behind them. "Loud! Paulson! What the hell is going on here?"

Coach Michaels stood with her hands on her hips, a severe expression on her leathery face.

"Nothing," Amber said, pulling away from Lynn.

"Uh..." Lynn didn't know what to say. She was frozen.

"I want both of you in my office _now_." With that, she stalked away.

Amber and Lynn looked at each other, shared fear flickering across their faces.

Five minutes later, they were sitting in Coach's office off the locker room, a cramped space filled with racks of balls, broken exercise equipment, bats, and other sports related trappings. Amber and Lynn sat side-by-side before Coach's cluttered metal desk. Coach, her arms crossed, glared at the girls.

"Well?" she demanded.

Neither of them spoke. Neither could even look at her.

Coach sighed. "I don't care what you do on your own time, but that kind of thing is _not_ acceptable in my locker room. Do you understand?"

Amber and Lynn both nodded.

"If I see you so much as shake hands in here ever again, I will write both of you up. Are we clear?"

"Yeah," Amber said.

"Yes," Lynn murmured.

"Get out of here."

On the walk home, neither Amber nor Lynn spoke. At the end of Amber's street, they kissed, Amber smiling at her. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You better," Lynn said, touching Amber's face.

Alone with her thoughts, Lynn began to worry that Coach would call her parents: The thought of walking through the door to her father and mother with their arms crossed scared the shit out of her. Not only would she find out she was gay...they would be angry that she was _having sex_ and at school to boot.

When she got home, no one said anything or even looked at her funny, so she figured she was in the clear, but she spent the rest of the evening terrified that the phone would ring. Maybe Coach was waiting. Maybe she was busy and wouldn't call until tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that.

In bed, Lynn lie awake, staring at the ceiling and desperately trying to sleep. Maybe Coach wouldn't call after all. Maybe she would. She didn't know and it bothered her so much that she only fell asleep, exhausted and depressed, shortly before dawn.

Her last thought before drifting off was: _I have to come out. Soon._


	9. Breakdown

Leni Loud dragged herself out of bed ten minutes before she had to leave for school and walked to the bathroom with slumped shoulders and a hanged head. In the mirror, her face was almost unrecognizable: Dark bags hung under her bloodshot eyes, her hair stuck out at weird angles, and the light coating of mascara on her eyelashes was smudged and clumped. She looked awful.

But not as awful as she felt.

Still slumped, she went back into her room, stripped naked, and pulled a wrinkled dress from the dirty clothes hamper. As she slipped it on, she remembered the way Lincy's hands felt on her body, so warm, so gentle, and felt such an aching loss that she started to hyperventilate wetly. It felt like a thousand pound demon was perched on her chest, its talons hooked into her heart. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her shoes on, moving robotically. She was just slipping into the second one when Lori walked in. "Leni, are you...?" she trailed off when their eyes met.

"Leni," she said, her voice softening, "what's wrong?"

Leni shook her head. "Nothing," she whispered.

"You look like a train wreck. No offense."

"I know," Leni said. "I don't care."

Lori sat next to her and put her arm around her shoulders. She'd never seen Leni depressed; she was usually so happy-go-lucky it was irritating. The pain welling now in her big brown eyes was strange and new. "Tell me what it is, Leni. I'm your big sister. You can tell me _anything_."

"I don't want to talk about it," Leni said, clasping her hands and resting them in her lap.

"Leni..."

"I don't want to talk about it," Leni said with more force. Lori chewed her lower lip for a thoughtful moment.

"Alright," she finally said, "but if you _do_ want to talk, please come to me, okay?"

Leni nodded slightly. Lori leaned in and kissed her sister's clammy forehead. "Now come on, we're going to be late."

On the ride to school, Lincoln's words rang through Leni's head. _You're stupid and Luan says you're just jealous of her_.

Her heart broke anew and she blinked back tears. The look on his face when he said it, his eyes hard and his mouth set, gutted Leni, and she threw herself down on her bed and wept into her pillow. Around her, everyone watched, their eyes like those of dead fish, their faces white and bloodless. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._ When their hands fell on her, she screamed, and then everything was black for a while until she was lying in her bed in dawn's early light, her eyes leaking and her heart rattling against her ribcage. Lori was lying on her side, snoring, and the rest of the house was silent. They must have knocked her out. When Lori woke up, she acted like nothing happened.

 _They want me to think I'm crazy but I know what they did to me and what that skank Luan is doing to Lincoln. She's turning him against me._

After school, she would confront the little monster, and if it came to it, Leni would make good on her promise to knock her teeth down her throat.

All that morning, she stared off into space, taking short, even breaths so that she didn't start hyperventilating again. She felt like the walls were slowly closing in on her. She tossed her head around, and they _did_ look closer, the room much smaller than it should have been. She was the only one who noticed, though. Everyone else faced the teacher, who stood at the board and talked, his voice echoy. They didn't _look_ like they were watching her, but she knew they were; she could feel their eyes boring into her. Luan was turning them against her too. Leni barked harsh laughter, and everyone looked at her. "Ms. Loud?" the teacher asked, "am I amusing you?"

Leni shook her head. "No." It's not you teacher its Luan she's turning the whole world against me because she wants a couple weeks fling with our brother until she breaks his heart and leaves him high and dry and she doesn't want me to hold him and love him and make sure he's okay and have his babies because she's crazy I thought she was a good sister but she's proving that she isn't and why is everyone listening to her? They all think I'm stupid and I can't be trusted so they'll believe her before they'll believe me and god knows what she's telling them. She probably told them I raped Lincy and she saw but she was sooooo scared she couldn't stop it so she just sat there until it was over and big bad stupid Leni was done she's a fucking bitch and all she does is lie and make things up about me and that's okay if you people want to believe her fuck you too fuck all of you I hate you I hate you I hate you...

At lunch, her friends looked at her funny, and she looked funny right back at them. "You look awful!" they said. "Are you alright?" Their eyes danced with mocking light and Leni felt hot anger rising in her stomach as she sat.

"I'm fine," she said sharply, and ripped her milk carton open. "See?" She took a big swallow, some of it dribbling down her chin and wetting her shirt. "Perfectly fine." She grabbed a handful of green beans and shoved them into her mouth. "Totes okay," she said, spaying food. Her friends looked worriedly at one another.

Leni ignored them and ate her lunch, thinking about Luan and what she was doing to her and her family. Was it even Luan? The _real_ Luan wasn't evil. She was nice and good. _This_ Luan was a demon.

It wasn't her.

It was something pretending to _be_ Luan. It made so much sense now. After all, why did this only just start happening? Why wasn't she always a mean little girl? Because the real Luan was buried in a shallow grave somewhere and the creature wearing her skin like a Roberto Cavalli dress was trying to finish what it started. Why? You never know what will come through that door in life. Things happen and you don't know why. Lightning strikes from the blue and everyone has their hands in their pockets because they never saw _that_ coming. They just fucking whistle and walk and Luan was trying to keep her from having Lincy's babies!

Leni flashed. She pushed her tray off the table; it clattered to the floor. Breathing through clenched teeth, she got up and cast a withering look at her so-called friends. They were talking about her. "You're all a pack of bitches! Fuck you!" She turned on her heels and started out of the cafeteria, everyone turning to look at her. Ahead, a boy in a football jersey looked over his shoulder, and Leni stopped long enough to lean over him. "Fuck you too," she hissed through clenched teeth.

In the hall, she smashed her fist into a locker and kicked the one below. She spun around, looking for something to break. The principal, Mr. McVickers, was striding down the hall, a tall, thin man with graying hair. "Ms. Loud?" His tone was firm, authoritative.

"What do _you_ want?" Leni asked, bending forward and baring her teeth.

"Come with me."

"Fuck you."

His eyes widened and he seemed stricken for a moment. He held out his arm, "Calm down, please, and come with me."

"Are you going to kill me too?" Leni roared. "Are you going to keep me from my fucking kids like that fucking demon-bitch? You want to lie about me?"

She was suddenly aware of other people in the hall. Mr. Kelley, the gym teacher, Mr. Bradford, the guidance counselor. She looked at each of them.

"Leni, calm down," Mr. Bradford said. He was a big, fat man who looked like Santa Claus; ironically, he was Jewish.

Leni took a deep shuddering breath, and suddenly, all the hate, all the anger drained away, leaving her limp. She leaned against the locker and started to cry.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

* * *

Luan Loud was restless. Sitting at her desk and waiting for the final bell to ring, she couldn't get comfortable, and the achy weight in her chest that had been there since the night before wouldn't go away no matter how many deep breaths she took. Throughout the day, she pictured the way Leni had looked that morning. Her sister, usually so beautiful and so fashionable, looked like something that had been dragged out of a grave, her skin waxy and her brow sheening with sweat. Her eyes, which were bloodshot and underhung with dark bags, were hazy and far away. When Luan looked at her, she noticed them darting around the van, never resting, never settling on any one thing. She looked crazy, and it scared her.

This was eating her alive. If it took Luan backing off Lincoln to make her better, she would. Oh, she didn't want to, not even a little, but something had to give, because Leni was going to go out of her mind if things went on like this.

 _I should have woken her up last night,_ Luan thought, feeling bad. Shaking Leni awake and talking through their dilemma may have helped. It certainly couldn't have hurt, given Leni's state that morning. Nothing could have hurt, she suspected.

When the bell rang, she gathered her books and waited for Lincoln by the front entrance as a stream of kids flowed past. When he showed, smiling and buoyant, Luan smiled. He was so _cute._

"Hey, Lu!" he said, bounding down the stairs. "How's it going?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Good." She did an admirable job of keeping the roiling emotions raging within out of her voice. "You?"

"Okay." A shadow crossed his face. "I...I actually wanna talk to you about something."

Luan's stomach panged. Oh, God, what?

"Come on," Luan said, "we'll talk as we walk."

Side-by-side, they followed the sidewalk, their pace slow, steady. Lincoln sighed. "You know how you said we're, like, brother and sister with benefits?"

"Yeah," Luan said.

"Well...the other night...I kind of had sex with Leni and I feel guilty about it."

Luan's heart twinged painfully even though she had suspected as much. "Yeah. Why?"

He shrugged and kicked a rock, sending it skititng along the concrete. "I don't know...it just...felt like...cheating."

Luan forced a smile. "We're not married, Linc. Leni's your sister too and she loves you just as much as I do. Did...did you have fun?"

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, it was nice."

Nodding, Luan put her arm around his shoulder and drew him close. "So why are you letting it bother you?"

Lincoln didn't reply for a long time. Ever since the previous day, he had been searching his heart _and_ his soul for an answer to that very question. He'd found it, but he didn't know if he should tell Luan.

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln looked up at her. "I don't...I don't feel the same way about Leni as I do about you."

An involuntary grin spread across Luan's face, even though this complicated matters _much_ more. "Well," she said, "I feel...the same about you...but we're brother and sister first, right?"

"I guess."

"And you're brother and sister with Leni, and I think Leni would very much like to spend more time with you."

Lincoln rolled his shoulders. "It's okay, Linc. There's nothing wrong with it. I'm not mad."

Even if she wasn't, Lincoln didn't love Leni like he loved Luan. He could...spend time with Leni...but his heart did not belong to her. It belonged to Luan.

And that bothered him. He loved both of them equally as sisters, but he did not love Leni as more. At least he didn't _think_ he did. Loving Luan like that and not Leni struck him as wrong, but when it comes to love-love and not family-love, aren't you supposed to only love one person? A part of him _wanted_ to love Leni as more, but a much large part _didn't_ love her in that way.

He was so confused he could barely think; all he wanted to do when he got home was lie down and rest his aching head.

Next to him, Luan sighed. She did _not_ look forward to talking to Leni...

* * *

"I have a question," Lynn said.

"Shoot," Amber replied.

They were walking side-by-side along the sidewalk bordering the park. It was a warm, steely day and a light breeze slipped through the bows of the trees lining the way. A big yellow school bus lumbered by in the street, and the hot, nauseating smell of diesel pinched Lynn's nostrils.

Lynn opened her mouth, but closed it again. All day she had been worrying over what she had to ask Amber, a question that occurred to her only that morning as she tried to imagine what she would say to her family when she came out. _I'm gay and I have a girlfriend_ came to her, and she liked it, but... _was_ Amber her girlfriend? Lynn didn't know. She never got a certificate in the mail, and no little icons reading ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: OBTAIN A GIRLFRIEND popped up like they did on the X-Box. It made sense that Amber _was_ , but what if she didn't see it that way? What if assuming she was her girlfriend made her look desperate, clingy...or even worse, weak? What if it made her look stupid? _You think I'm your girlfriend? Loud, we're_ just _friends_.

"Well?" Amber asked, looking at her with a little smile that made Lynn's insides melt.

She didn't want to look clingy or weak...but like she said herself, it's better to know where you stand than to not know and wonder, so she forged ahead. "What are we?"

"What do you mean?" Amber asked.

"What are we? Are we...together?"

Amber came to a stop and cocked her head, a slight grin touching her pouty lips. "Loud...I ate your pussy and you ate mine. What do you think?"

Lynn sighed and looked down. "I don't know."

Seeing her turmoil, Amber put her hand under Lynn's chin and tilted her head up, their eyes meeting. In them, Lynn saw beauty and tenderness.

"I really like you, Lynn," she said. "You might not know what we are, but I do. You're my girlfriend and I'm yours."

Smiling widely, Lynn leaned in and kissed her girlfriend, pure joy overwhelming her. She had never felt anything like what she felt now. It was indescribable. If she _had_ to put it into words, she would say light: She was filled with warm, golden light, and at any moment, her body could shatter like porcelain, and that light would fill the world.

Amber put her arm around Lynn's shoulder and drew her close, Lynn slipping her arm around Amber's waist. This felt so...right. She never wanted to let go, and she never wanted to _be_ let go.

"Come on, baby girl," Amber said, "let's go be girlfriend and girlfriend."

"You're on, Paulson."

* * *

Leni sat in the middle of her bed, staring into space. She had been that way since her mother left the room...what, two hours ago? Four? There was a disturbance and Mrs. Loud can you come get your daughter? Some sort of episode she was screaming and threatening other students. Yes I'll come and take her home she's so stupid and none of us love her anymore tsk tsk tsk she's proving Luan right with every move she makes. Okay, she would sit here then and make _no_ move. She would be a rock.

Honey what's wrong?

Nothing.

Please tell me. There _must_ be something wrong.

Leni blinked back tears. No mom nothing's wrong everything's okay.

Mom knew that was a lie and she knew that Leni knew that that was a lie. She knew Leni knew _everything_ was a lie. I'm going to make you an appointment to see a doctor because you're stupid and crazy and you can't stay in the house anymore you can go live in the shed with the rakes and hoes and spiders we know how much you like spiders Leni oh you don't too bad because your new brother and sisters are all going to be spiders and your aunts and uncles will be the termites in the walls they'll eat your brains because you're a blockhead get it because blocks of wood hahahahahahahahahaha.

"Shut up," she said, her voice harsh and cracking.

Luan will move into your old room while you live in the shed and Lori will move in with Luna so Luan and Lincoln can be alone every night and have sex in your bed and Luan will wear your clothes and your shoes and she'll be the new Leni the better Leni the Leni that isn't stupid and crazy and jealous that's what she said that you're jealous of her and Lincoln we don't care what you have to say because we know you lie Luan told us so and we can trust her because she isn't stupid like you so so so so stupid like you and ugly and stupid and horrible you don't deserve children much less Lincon's children Luan will have them she'll carry them and parade around in front of your shed with her big stomach filled with what is rightfully yours and then with them in her arms mocking you wave to aunt Leni wave with your middle finger then she'll take the twins and leave Lincoln broken hearted Lincoln broken hearted and her living in the shed with the spiders and the beetles and everything else that no one likes or wants because you're a dog and dogs sleep in the dirt because they have fur and you keep your face down in the dirt no one wants to see you ever again when they're cutting the grass of kicking the ball against the fence and the thump-thump-thump keeps you awake into the night and you scream...

...because you're so so so so stupid and everyone hates you because Luan lied so she can steal your sweet innocent precious babies and then leave Lincoln.

She ran her fingers through her hair, and yanked, tears springing to her eyes. Fuck you fuck you fuck you.

Someone knocked on the door.

Fuck you fuck you fuck you.

"Leni?"

Leni's heart seized in her chest. It was Luan. She was here to gloat. What should she do? Should she hide? Should she tell her to go away?

Leni scrambled to her feet just as the door opened. She froze when she saw Luan. Yup. That's her. Or what's pretending to be Luan.

"Hey," Luan said, her eyes filled with faux concern. "How are you?"

Leni nodded. "Alright." He voice was flat. Don't give the bitch the satisfaction of seeing what she's doing to you don't let her know.

"Look," Luan said, looking down. "I know..." she trailed off and shut the door. She came forward, and Leni took a step back, Luan's brow furrowing in puzzlement. "You okay?"

"Alright," Leni nodded.

Luan blinked. "I know you're in love with Lincoln."

Yes you do you've known all this time you evil bitch.

"I-If you want me to back off him, I will, Leni. I just...I don't want us to be mad at each other or anything like that."

Leni opened her mouth. "You're just using himntil someone else comes along, aren't you, Luan? Someone else to scratch your itchiwalls and then leave Lincoln with arekids."

Luan blinked again. "What?"

"You think I don't know what you are and you're not Luan. You're just using Lincoln. You just want sex from him."

"No, Leni," Luan said, "it's not like that, I love him."

Leni snapped then, her eyes filled with fire and her teeth bared. _"NO YOU DON'T!"_ she roared, grabbing Luan's throat with both of her hands and squeezing, shaking. _"YOU DON'T LOVE HIM, YOU EVIL BITCH!"_

Luan's world began to gray, and panic filled her. She swiped at Leni's face, but she was holding her at arms' length, and the tips of her fingers only brushed her cheek. Her heart was slamming, her face starting to feel hot and red. She gasped for air, but Leni was crushing her neck, preventing sweet, living giving oxygen from entering her bursting chest.

Still Leni shook. _"YOU DON'T LOVE HIM! YOU DON'T LOVE HIM! YOU DON'T LOVE HIM!"_

 _I'm going to die,_ Luan thought hysterically as her legs buckled and she sank to her knees, Leni looming over her. She dug her nails into the backs of Leni's hands, but the madwoman only strengthened her grip.

Gray turned to black, and black stole across her vision even as warm wool knitted around her brain.

Still Leni shook. Now tears streamed from her eyes.

She only stopped when someone punched her in the chest, knocking her back. Lori was there, a terrified expression on her face. In the doorway, Lynn looked equally afraid. Luna was bending over Luan and yelling over her shoulder at Lori, but Leni couldn't hear them over the ringing in her ears. She sat heavily on the edge of her bed, hugged herself, and rocked back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...


	10. Fallout

For Lincoln Loud, time stopped when he saw Luan lying limply on the floor, Lori and Luna bent over her, Luna worriedly rubbing her face and Lori shaking her shoulder, her eyes wide with panic. A crowd of sisters blocked the door, and Lincoln had to push his way through, freezing as his eyes fell upon the girl he loved, an icepick of horror piercing his heart. The world fell away until only her face remained: Her fluttering eyelids, her parted lips, her flushed cheeks. He was aware of stumbling forward, of pushing Lori out of the way and dropping to his knees, but he was not aware of his brain sending commands to his muscles: He might as well have been a video game avatar controlled by someone else.

Someone was crying and hitching Luan's name; it was only when he felt his lips trembling that he realized it was him.

He touched her face, and her lips quivered. She turned her head slightly, and her eyes came open. They were distant and faraway.

At that moment, the world rushed in on him in a tsunami of light and sound, and he reeled.

"What is going _on_ in here?" mom asked, moving through the crowd. When she saw them on the floor, her face dropped and she flew over. "Oh my God, what happened?" She dropped to her knees and lifted Luan's head up. The girl's eyes were darting around the room, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Leni strangled her!" Lori said.

 _"What?"_

Lincoln glanced over his shoulder, his narrowed eyes softening when he saw Leni, her arms wrapped around her chest, her eyes vacant; she rocked back and forth like a pendulum. Her lips moved silently, forming words that would make no sense even if they were audible. Lincoln heard a murmur of sound from his sisters. "What's wrong with her?" someone whispered.

"I came in because I heard yelling and Leni was choking her," Lori explained. "I yelled at her to stop but she didn't listen so I-I hit her."

"Luan, honey, are you alright?" mom asked, taking Luan's head in her lap. Luan blinked and looked up at her. "I-I'm fine," she muttered sleepily, "I-I don't know what happened." She tried to up but swooned drunkenly, her hand fluttering to her forehead.

"Take it easy, baby," mom said. She looked up at Leni, a stricken expression on her face. She reminded Lincoln of a little girl lost in the woods: He didn't know why that image came to him, but it struck him with such force that his heart staggered, and terror filled him. Mom, the one woman in the world who always had all the answers, was just as discombobulated as he.

Looking down at Luan's upturned face, mom stroked her cheek. "Does anything hurt? Can you breathe okay?"

Luan nodded. She seemed to be coming back to herself. "I'm fine."

"Can you stand up?"

"I can try."

With Lori and Luna's help, Luan got to her feet. She was shaky, but her sisters held her up.

"Take-take Luan..." mom started, and then stopped, rubbing her forehead, looking so overwhelmed that she might collapse, "...just go, I need to talk to Leni."

Luna and Lori led Luan out of the room, Lincoln following. His sisters crowded around Luan in the hall, grabbing at her the way the faithful might grab at the Pope and talking over one another. Lincoln glanced over his shoulder and saw his mother sit stiffly next to Leni, her hands on the tops of her thighs. For one terrible second, he was sure she was going to hit the girl, but instead, she put her arm around her shoulder and drew her close.

"What happened in there?" Lana asked excitedly.

"Did you attack her first?" Lucy asked.

"What's her problem?" Lola. "She's been a total weirdo for _days_."

"Guys, give her some space!" Lori said sharply.

Lincoln followed as Lori and Luna helped Luan to her room. "Here," Lori said as Luan sat on the bed. "Rest."

She turned, and favored Lincoln with a withering gaze. "Lincoln...go away!"

"No," Luan said, "he's fine."

"Are you sure?" Lori asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright," Lori said. "I'm going to go find out what the hell's wrong with Leni." She left the room. Luna sat next to Luan and put her hand on her sister's leg.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She looked up at Lincoln, and he recoiled inwardly at the look of misery in her eyes. "Can you leave me and Lincoln alone for a minute?".

"Yeah, sure," Luna said, patting her sister on the back. When they were alone, Lincoln sat next to her and took her in his arms. She hugged him and he hugged her back. Hot tears welled in Lincoln's eyes, but he blinked them back. He had to be strong for Luan. He kissed the top of her head, the sweet smell of her hair filling his nostrils, and then pulled her even closer as if to draw her into himself, where she would be forever safe.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice steady...to his own ears, at least.

Luan didn't speak for a moment. He could feel her tears soaking through the front of his shirt, and he almost lost control himself. "I went to talk to her," Luan croaked. "About you."

"Me?" Lincoln asked.

Luan nodded against his chest. "Lincoln...she's in love with you." She looked up at him. "Just like I am."

Lincoln's heart skipped a beat. Luan was in love with him? He swallowed hard. Wasn't he in love with her too, though? Yes, he thought he was, but to put it into so many words...

"She wasn't making any sense," Luan said, "she said I wasn't Luan and I was using you and something about kids. Then..." Luan trailed off.

"It's okay," Lincoln said, stroking her hair. "It's okay."

He said it...but he didn't believe it. Staring straight ahead, his lungs constricted, he believed it was anything _but_ okay, because two of his sisters loved him and one of them hurt the other _because_ of him. He remembered the distant look in Leni's eyes, the way she rocked back and forth on the edge of the bed. He did that to her. It was all his fault.

Misery swept through him like a cloud of gnawing locusts, and he rested his cheek against the top of Luan's head. He told himself he wouldn't cry, he told himself he had to be strong, but when the tears started to come, he could not fight them back, and he broke down, crying into her sister's hair. She hugged him closer, and together they sat that way for a long time.

* * *

Dad got home that evening at six, his face drawn and his eyes pooled with worry. It had been an hour since mom left in the van with Leni. "I'm taking her to see a doctor," mom explained, her eyes shining with unshed tears. They were standing by the front door, Leni hunched and hugging herself, looking small and fragile. "Lori, you're in charge."

After they left, the remaining Loud kids sat around the living room, the mood having darkened over the past half hour. No one spoke, no one moved. Lincoln sat with his arm around Luan's shoulders. Lori stared blankly at the TV, Lucy read, but not once in sixty whole minutes did she turn a page, Lynn sat on the floor, her back against the couch. She was texting someone, setting her phone on the coffee table and then retrieving it every minute or two. Luna bounced Lilly on her lap, looking for all the world like she'd rather be anywhere than in the Loud house. Even Lisa was present: She had an arrangement of tubes and beakers scattered across the surface of the coffee table, but she touched none of them.

When dad came through the door, he went immediately over to Luan and knelt. "Are you alright, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Luan said heavily. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" he asked.

"I went to talk to Leni and she started yelling and choked me."

Lynn Sr. sighed and looked away. The look of despair on his father's face turned Lincoln's stomach. "Leni's...Leni's sick, baby. She didn't mean to do it."

Nodding, Luan whispered, "I know," but she didn't, not really.

"Your mother will be home soon," he said, "and then we're going to have a talk about what happened." He stood and looked around at his children, the tension hanging above them palpable. "We'll order a couple pizzas. How does that sound?"

Everyone nodded, shrugged, or voiced their consent in monosyllables. "It's going to be okay," he told them. "Leni's just not feeling very good. She's been under a lot of stress and it got to her. It happens."

"Why did she hurt Luan?" Lola asked.

"She didn't mean to," dad said quickly. "She...she didn't know what she was doing."

"She was suffering a psychotic break," Lisa said. "A psychotic break occurs when a person experiences an episode of psychosis, generally for the first time, psychosis being an abnormal condition of the mind characterized by a loss of contact with reality. People experiencing psychosis may exhibit personality changes and thought disorder. As our father suggested, stress may have triggered the recent episode, but there is certainly an underlying mental issue. The good news is that psychosis is relatively easy to manage and episodes such as the one we just witnessed are, generally speaking, very few and far between even without adequate treatment."

Everyone looked at each other, fear in their eyes.

"Well," dad said, holding up a hand, "we don't know anything yet. We have to wait for the doctor's diagnosis."

"I assure you my diagnosis is just as well-informed as any doctor's."

"No, because you're basing your diagnosis on simple observation," dad pointed out, "and not even very _close_ observation at that. The doctor will actually _talk_ to Leni."

Lisa sighed. "You're right."

"So...Leni's crazy?" Lucy asked.

"Absolutely _not_ ," dad said, his tone harsher than he apparently meant, because when he continued, his voice was softer, "she just isn't feeling well. It happens to a lot of people and it's _not_ something to be ashamed of, and it doesn't make her crazy or bad or anything else. Now I want everyone wash up. I'm going to order the pizzas. Anyone want anything special? Toppings? Breadsticks? Anything?"

Given the size of the Loud family, special items were not often allowed when ordering out. Pizza was always plain cheese because it was the cheapest and breadsticks, hot-wings, brownies, and any other sides were never even considered. The fact that dad was offering them "anything" made Lincoln even sadder than he already was. He was trying to raise their spirits with the promise of extra goodies when all they really wanted was for their sister to be okay.

Everyone got up and went upstairs, no one taking dad up on his offer; Lincoln doubted any of them would even eat.

* * *

Mom got home five minutes before the pizza arrived.

She was alone.

Normally, eating in the living room was strictly forbidden in the Loud house, but tonight that rule was broken: The pizzas were laid out on the coffee table along with a stack of paper plates, and each sibling helped themselves. Mom sat stiffly in the armchair, shaking her head when dad offered her a slice.

"The doctor said Leni suffered a psychotic break," mom explained, "which means..."

"I already explained it to them," Lisa said, casting a sidelong glance at her father.

Mom nodded. "They're going to keep her for a few days, but she's going to get better." She placed emphasis on _going_ either because it was an absolute truth, or because she desperately wanted it to be. Which, Lincoln couldn't tell. "He said that she must have been under a great amount of stress and that's what triggered the episode. We all remember last night, right? She looked _very_ stressed. Does anyone know why?"

No one spoke.

Lincoln glanced at Luan, and she met his eyes, a knowing spark between them.

 _We have to tell,_ Lincoln's eyes said.

 _We can't,_ Luan's replied.

If they told, God only knew what would happen to them. At the very least their parents would both be furious and they would be punished, probably severely. Lincoln imagined that he and his sister would be separated, held back from one another, their hearts forbidden to beat in time ever again, their bodies no longer allowed to couple in the spiritual dance of lovemaking. These thoughts and more flashed through Lincoln's mind, and his stomach turned. Leni's health, however, hung in the balance. And Lincoln would do _anything_ for his sisters, even if it meant denying himself love and happiness. Luan would be hurt too, he suspected, but in the hierarchy of needs, her heartbreak was beneath Leni's mindbreak. You can exist with a broken heart. You cannot exist with a broken mind.

 _We have to be honest. For Leni._

 _But I love you._

 _I love you too._

 _I can't do it, Lincoln._

 _Then I will._

He turned away, feeling his soul crumble inside of him, and said, "I think I know."

Luan's hand crept into his and squeezed.

Mom looked at him. "Well, what is it?"

Lincoln's heart was pounding so hard he could barely breathe. He glanced at Luan, who watched him with wet, miserable eyes, then back at his mother. Everyone was looking at him expectantly. "What is it, Lincoln?" Lori demanded.

He swallowed. His throat was dry and tacky. He never imagined that simply speaking, putting thoughts and emotions into words, could be this hard. "I-I..." he looked down. "I don't want to say in front of everyone."

Mom sighed. "Alright." She got up. "Come with me."

Lincoln stood and pulled Luan up.

"Just us," mom said.

"This...this involves her, too."

Mom's brow furrowed, and everyone else looked at him strangely.

"Alright, come on."

Hand-in-hand, Lincoln and Luan followed their mother and father up the stairs, if not to their doom, then to the doom of their love.


	11. Don't Blink

The truth, they say, shall set you free. Sitting on her bed next to Lincoln, her parents sitting side-by-side on Luna's, Luan Loud didn't _feel_ very free. In fact, she felt the opposite of free. She felt like a prisoner. She'd never been to jail, but she imagined that the claustrophobic tightness in her chest is what convicts must feel as they sit in their 6-by-6 cells, caged animals whose entire world existed as only a few steps in any direction. Her parents' faces were expectant. They were waiting. Next to her, Lincoln grasped for words, flailing like a drowning man, and Luan wanted to help him because it wasn't right that he had to do this alone, but she couldn't. She knew the drop was coming, that she would plummet over the edge, but she couldn't bring herself to actually _jump_ , to embrace that fall.

Mom sighed. "Whatever it is, just tell us. We won't be angry. We promise. We just...we need to know so we can help your sister get better."

Oh, she said they wouldn't be angry _now_ , but Luan imagined she would be _furious_ when she heard what they had to say.

 _Why did I have to fall in love with him?_ Luan asked. _Why did I have to have_ sex _with him?_

She cursed herself. This was her fault. She was the one who couldn't control her raging teenage hormones. She was the one who almost literally woke up one morning and decided she wanted to have sex with her brother. Her own brother. Then, she was the one who went and fell in love with him. Everything from Leni's breakdown to this, Lincoln fumbling to explain to their parents what had happened, was totally and entirely _her fault and no one else's._

Lincoln sighed. "Well..."

She couldn't let him do this. She was the one who made this mess, and she was the one who needed to woman up and own responsibility. "Leni and I are both in love with Lincoln," she blurted.

Shocked silence filled the room as mom's face fell and dad's eyes widened. Lincoln squeezed Luan's hand tighter. His heart was racing.

"What?" mom asked. Lincoln got the impression that she thought she'd heard wrong.

"We both love Lincoln," Luan said, "and we both slept with him..."

" _What?"_

The color drained from dad's face and he looked away from them. Mom's eyes strained in their sockets. "Jesus Christ, this is d- God, you slept with your _brother?_ You had _sex_ with him?"

"Yeah," Lincoln said.

Dad started to speak, but mom jumped to her feet, and both Lincoln and Luan cringed. "I can't _believe_ this!" She started pacing, her hands pressed to the sides of her head. "You-You should _know_ better! Don't you realize how _awful_ this is? I'm at a loss for words. I don't...I just...I" she sank onto the bed, put her head in her hands, and started to cry. Dad put his arm around her shoulders and looked at Lincoln and Luan, something like misery in his eyes.

"You're both grounded indefinitely," he said.

"I don't even want them in the same room together," mom sobbed. "Ever again. Never."

"You are to stay in your rooms and to not come out except to use the bathroom. And even then you need to _ask_ me. I am...I am _so_ disappointed in both of you. I thought we raised you better than to have sex. And with each other at that..." he shook his head. "Lincoln, get the hell out of here and go to your room."

Lincoln sighed and squeezed Luan's hand. He looked at her, and she at him. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too."

" _NOW!"_

Lincoln got up and left, tears streaming down his face. When he opened the door, Lori was there, and sudden anger overcame him. He shoved roughly past her with a tight, "Move," and went to his room, where he slammed the door and threw himself onto the bed. He pulled his pillow to his face and wept.

In her room, Luan hugged herself and cried silently.

"Why would you _even,_ Luan?" mom asked. She raked a hand through her hair. "I can't for the _life_ of me imagine...your own brother..."

"I love him," she moaned.

"You're fourteen! You have no _idea_ what love is!"

"Yes I do!"

"No you don't!"

Luan jumped to her feet. "I'm in love with him and nothing you say can change that! I don't care if you like it or not!"

Mom's eyes flashed and her teeth clenched. She stood, and dad grabbed her arm. "You little _bitch!_ He's your _brother_!"

"I don't care!" Luan screamed.

" _YOUR FUCKING BROTHER!"_

" _I HATE YOU!"_ Luan stomped her foot and shook her arms. " _I HATE YOU! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"_

Mom tried to come toward her, her hand raising, but dad got up and grabbed her around the waist. "Honey, calm down."

"It's disgusting! Did you even use protection?"

"He came in me and I liked it," Luan said defiantly. "All four times he did it."

Mom tried to get to her again, but dad held her back. "Calm down!" he shouted. "You're acting insane, Rita!" Her face was screwed up in an ugly expression, her lips tight and her eyes bulging. She took deep breaths through her nostrils. Her face was red.

"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady," she said lowly, dangerously. "Words can't even _begin_ to describe what I feel right now." She pulled away from her husband and went to the door. He followed close behind, throwing a sorrowful look over his shoulder.

"You stay away from Lincoln," mom said. In the hall, she looked at her husband, and when she spoke, her voice was dripping with venom. "Talk to your son." She brushed past him and stalked down the stairs. When she entered the living room, everyone looked at her. She fixed malicious eyes on Lori, whose face suddenly rippled with fear. "And _you_ need to learn to mind your own goddamn business." She looked around the room. "I want all of you in your rooms _now_."

In his room, Lincoln sat up as his father entered and sat on the edge of the bed. Lincoln sniffed and brushed his tears away as, without looking at him, his father said, "I'm _very_ disappointed in you, Lincoln. You're supposed to protect and look after your sisters. You're supposed to..." he trailed off, not having one clue in hell how to continue. "You're not supposed to look at your sisters like that. You're not supposed to _do_ things like that to them."

"Dad..."

"I don't want to hear it, Lincoln. Your mother overreacted. I apologize for that. She's under a lot of stress right now with Leni, and so am I. But that doesn't change the fact that what you and Luan did is wrong."

"I love her."

"She's your _sister_ , Lincoln. Your sister. I know things can be...confusing...at your age, but you have to understand that siblings don't fall in love. They aren't...they aren't supposed to do what you two did. What you and Leni did." He sighed. In the gathering gloom of the evening, Lincoln could just make out his father's profile. "Siblings share a special bond. A bond of love. Not love-love, like...like you feel for a girl who's not your sister, because that kind of love doesn't always last. Sometimes it's not meant to. It's like a fire that burns very hot and sometimes goes out. Sibling love is...it's a fire that supposed to burn low and last forever. Yours and Luan's...feelings...have turned your low fire into a very hot one that's going to burn out, because love sometimes fades...but young love almost always fades." He paused and wracked his brain. "When you're your age, you feel things more intensely and every little infatuation feels like true love. This isn't love, Lincoln. And if, God forbid, it is, where does your love for Luan as your sister end and your love for her as something else begin?"

Lincoln stared down at the bed, his eyes welling with tears. His heart ached so badly that he felt sick to his stomach. He didn't care about fires or fading or what he was supposed to do and not supposed to do...he loved Luan and he _needed_ her.

He made no attempt to argue the point with his father. He wouldn't listen. Lincoln realized how it looked from the outside, so he couldn't entirely blame him. Loving your sister was "wrong" and "disgusting." Fine. Everyone in the world could wag their fingers in his face and call him what they wanted, but that didn't matter: The love he felt for Luan was a beautiful thing whether they could see it or not, whether they _wanted_ to see it or not.

"I don't want to see this come out wrong," dad said. "Any wronger than it already is. I'm not as upset by the fact that you and Luan – and Leni – feel the way you do as I am about the fact that you...acted on it. You're all children, whether you think you are or not, and you can't make decisions like this. I..." he trailed off again and shook his head. With a sigh, he said, "Get some sleep."

He got up and left, leaving Lincoln alone with his heartache.

* * *

"What do you think it was?" Lynn asked. It was just after 9'o'clock, and she was lying in bed, her hands laced behind her head. In the next bed over, Lucy was reading, her mind so preoccupied by the events of the day that she had to read each sentence twice just to get an idea of what they meant.

"I don't know," she said.

As soon as mom and dad disappeared upstairs with Lincoln and Luan, Lori took it upon herself to follow, even though Lucy told her that it wasn't a good idea. Lori, however, thought it was her right to know. "Something's not right," she said suspiciously as she got up. "They know something we don't."

In five minutes, after the slam of a door, she returned, her eyes wide and her face drawn. Behind her, mom roared: _"YOUR FUCKING BROTHER!"_

" _I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"_

Lori shuffled over to the couch and sat, everyone talking over each other. "What was it?" "What'd you hear?" "Come on! Spit it out!"

"Nothing," she said, a shell-shocked quality to her voice. "I didn't hear anything."

A few minutes later, heavy footfalls descended the stairs, and everyone turned. Their mother, her face flushed with anger, looked around the room, her jaw set. Her eyes landed on Lori. "And _you_ need to learn to mind your own goddamn business." Lori bowed her head like a scolded dog. After that, mom sent them all to their rooms even though it was barely 8'o'clock.

Lynn's mind worked. Mom was obviously upset about something to do with Lincoln. The "brother" remark was directed at Luan. She thought back to that day in the backyard when Luan climbed onto Lincoln and kissed him. Lynn was sure she'd seen her slip her tongue into his mouth, though she eventually convinced herself she was mistaken. Maybe she wasn't.

 _YOUR FUCKING BROTHER!_

 _I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!_

Were Lincoln and Luan...doing something? Or...was Luan _doing something_ to Lincoln against his will? And if so, how did Leni fit into it? Did she walk in on something and snap? She looked all upset at dinner last night; upset because she was carrying the weight of knowing her sister was...abusing her brother?

No, that didn't make sense. If Luan was doing something to Lincoln against his will, he wouldn't always be around her, and if he was, he would look unhappy, or afraid, or...or...or anything but happy and carefree, which is how he was around Luan. He was like that around all of them because why not? They were his family. If you can't be happy and carefree around your family, who _can_ you be happy and carefree around? But now that she thought about it, they were both _extra_ happy and carefree around one another. Sometimes they looked at each other and just smiled, and Lynn had noticed, of course, but she hadn't really registered it. Why would she? They were brother and sister!

If anything was happening, and she knew that it must be, it was mutual.

Maybe she would have noticed that if she hadn't been so caught up in her own affairs.

Whatever. How did Leni figure into it? Maybe she saw something and she mistook it for something else, or maybe she something and _knew_ what it was, but the stress of carrying it around triggered something in her mind and she lost it.

She started to say something to Lucy, but stopped. She _could_ be wrong, and opening your mouth and flabbing your gums when you were wrong is how rumors got started. Instead, she checked her phone and replied to a text from Amber. They'd texted only sporadically that afternoon. Frist the thing between Leni and Luan, then the thing between Luan and her parents, kept her away. She told Amber about Leni but not about the blowout between Luan and mom.

"Whatever it is, I hope it blows over soon," Lucy said, turning a page with a crisp snap, "I've never seen mom that angry."

"Neither have I," Lynn said honestly. "It...it was kind of scary."

* * *

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Luna asked. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, her shoulders slumped and her forearms resting on her legs. Luan was curled up on her side, facing the wall, her body trembling as she wept. Up until ten minutes ago, her grief was audible. Now it was silent. To Luna, that was somehow worse.

The younger girl didn't reply, and Luna was torn. She wanted to get up and go to her, lay her hand on her shoulder and offer whatever comfort she could, but she wanted to give her space as well: Sometimes, when _she_ was upset, she just wanted to be alone, and if someone bothered her, she got even more upset. She sighed and drummed her fingers on her knees. She wished that she at least knew what this was about. As it stood, all she could piece together was that there had been a fight between Luan and their mother, about Lincoln (or at least involving him) from the sound of it. It was linked to Leni somehow. Luna had no idea in hell how it all fit. She was thoroughly confused.

Luan sniffed and drew herself tighter, as if by doing so she could collapse inwards and cease to exist. Luna took off her boots and laid back on her bed, the scene in the living room playing in her mind for the millionth time: Her mother angrier than she had ever seen her, Lori looking like she'd seen great and terrible things, everyone else lost and afraid. She thought even farther back to that afternoon: Luan on her knees, her face turning blue, Leni standing over her, her hands wrapped around the younger girl's throat, her face twisted in fury and loathing, no longer beautiful but ugly, frightening. Luna shuddered, goosebumps racing up and down her arms. She never imagined Leni being capable of such pure, unadulterated _hatred._ Psychosis or not.

"I'm here for you if you need me, Luan," Luna said. She looked over at her sister one final time, then turned out the lights.

* * *

Leni Loud sat in a chair facing a wire-mesh covered window. The Royal Woods General psych ward was on the fifth floor; from here, she had a scenic view of the parking lot, arch sodium lamps casting murky orange pools on the pavement. White dots danced around them. Moths without a care in the world.

She was cold, so she crossed her arms. She wore a thin hospital gown and woolen socks. Cold air poured in from a big vent in the ceiling. The walls were blindingly white. Just like her sheets. Just like her gown. Just like the lights. They were trying to make her go blind and she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of knowing it was working, so she stared out the window, unblinking, her eyelids straining and tears flowing down her cheeks.

She tried to remember why she was here in the first place, but her memory was hazy. She remembered a doctor talking to her, and sitting on an uncomfortable couch in a dayroom while an old black-and-white movie played on a wall-mounted TV. She watched the other patients with suspicion. They were all dressed in white. Some spun in circles, some played checkers, some read newspapers. Orderlies also dressed in white stood watch as a nurse handed medications out from a rolling metal cart. It was poison and even so Leni took what the nurse gave her because she had nothing to live for. She was here, in this cold, drab institutional _prison_ and her family hated her. They gave her away because she was stupid and ugly and crazy and fat and ugly and stupid and she couldn't have kids and she was fat and stupid.

The pill made Leni feel funny. The world blurred at the edges, and her stomach turned. By the time they took her to her room, she could vaguely recall a fight. Her family probably attacked her when she was at her weakest, beat her up, and brought her here. Take her she's stupid and we don't want her in the house anymore Luan can have all of her things and don't let her come black no...back don't let her come back because we don't want her because she's not Luan she's something else something evil something from space that isn't human and eats people and wants to hatch its eggs in the caves because its dark and wet there.

A white mist swirled in her brain, and she saw the outline of Luan's face. Luan trembled...as if in rage. Rage against Leni. Rage against all that was scared and holy and beautiful and stood in its domination. Leni's teeth clenched and she rubbed her arms. She was so cold. So cold. Still, she didn't blink. She knew they were watching her, and she wouldn't let them know she was going blind. Let them figure it out themselves. Make them come in with their guns and knives and drag her into the hall and lynch her and put her on trial. The back of her neck tingled, but she didn't turn. Get it over with. Shoot me, hit me, choke me, then lock me in a cell and never let me out because everyone lies and no one wants to tell the truth anymore it's easier to say she's crazy that it is to face that fact that _you're_ crazy and there's something wrong with your mind that Luan can fool you into believing she's real and not a thing that took Lincoln away from her and spoiled her chances at being happy. All her life she existed as a phantom like the movie and she never got to be anything. She was a tile on the wall. A chipped tile among chipped tiles. No one loves tiles they love fissures and lamps and she tried to be a lamp because she never felt like anyone truly loved her and she was right even when she was a kid she had this feeling that things were off but she knew she was stupid so she ignored it. Of course they love you they say it and they hug you and they help you but things are closer than they appear...no not what they seem that's it. Smoke and shadows.

She was a fool to ignore her guts she should have known. She should have killed Luan in the cradle and none of it would ever have happened because her Bluetooth brain wouldn't have casted signals to the others and killed her reputation. She should have done it.

They came and put her to bed and she stared into the darkness. She still did not blink. She could never blink again. Never, ever, ever blink again...

* * *

Luan wiped tears from her eyes and looked at the soft glow of her phone screen. Lincoln's text was short, sweet, and to the point: _We have to break up._

It was after two in the morning and the only sound was Luna's steady, rhythmic breathing. Up until a half an hour ago, there was another sound, Luan's own hitching agony, but that tapered off when her phone buzzed and she saw a text from Lincoln asking how she was.

 _I don't want to break up with you,_ she texted back.

She never knew it was possible to hurt so bad. She felt like a thousand tiny knives were stabbing her heart; she silently wished for death, because death would free of her of this torment.

 _I don't want to break up with you either. I love you. But I can't lose you as a sister and if we don't break up I won't have you. You heard mom. She said she doesn't even want us in the same room together anymore._

Luan sighed and sniffled. She thought back to her mother's rage. She loved Lincoln, why couldn't they see that? Why couldn't they _care?_ That fat bitch sad it was "disgusting" and "awful." How could loving someone be awful? How could wanting to hold their hand and be with them be disgusting? Oh, right, brother and sister, I forgot. Ew. We have the same parents. How fucking _terrible_.

 _I know. I can't lose you either\\._

 _Then we have to break up._

Luan rolled onto her back and took a hitching breath. He was right. She knew that. Still, she didn't want to lose him. She was in love with him.

In that moment, she hated her parents with such intensity that she trembled. She hoped they both died in their sleep.


	12. The Next Day

Things always look better in the light of day. That's how the saying went, at least, but the next morning, things looked even worse to Rita Loud. This owed largely to her own guilt: She flew off the handle and overreacted. She knew that, knew it even as it was happening, but the stress and fear over what was happening with Leni fueled her anger until she was an inferno raging out of control. She regretted it even before she fell asleep last night, sitting up in bed by lamplight and trying to sort her thoughts and emotions. Luan's words rang through her head. _I hate you._ Even during the confrontation, those words pierced the veil of her anger and wounded her. She never imagined even for a second that one of her children would say that to her, and hearing it wrenched her heart.

Opening her eyes to the gray light of a new day, Rita's first thought was: _I should have dealt better._

And she should have. She shouldn't have yelled, she shouldn't have said the things she did. She should have been more open, more sympatric. She prided herself on her liberal parenting, but last night she was anything _but_ liberal: She was a monster, and she regretted it so much that tears came to her eyes. She had to make this right.

But how? She was so out of her element here that she felt like she was drowning. Her and Lynn had discussed the possibility that the kids might "play doctor" and explore one another's bodies (a prospect that became more likely after Lincoln was born) and concluded that they would handle it rationally, as children are naturally curious. They never imagined that they would ever actually have to face it, though, especially as the kids grew, and never, never, never did they even once think that any of their children would actually _have sex_. Was it true what Luan said about them not even using protection? She would have to get her a pregnancy test. Jesus. A pregnancy test for her 14-year-old daughter. That was bad enough even without the fact that the reason they needed it was because of her 11-year-old son.

Regardless, they were her children and she loved them dearly. Kids make mistakes. That's all part of growing up, right? God knows she made her fair share of mistakes (didn't she make a _huge_ mistake just last night?). What happened between Lincoln and Luan...what they believed they felt for each other...it was a mistake and that was okay. Mistakes happen, especially when you're young and "in love." Hormones do funny things to you, and at that age, you're swimming in hormones, _stewing_ in them. She didn't like to think about it, but on some level she figured that her older daughters (or some of them at least) had probably already done things with boys. Lori had been with Bobby close to a year. They _had_ to have done something by now. And Leni...there had been boys in her past.

Leni.

Rita couldn't bring herself to be angry at her for her part in all this, not right now at least. Still, she should have known better than even Luan, being older. Of course, there were...issues with Leni...and she couldn't be held 100 percent responsible.

Getting out of bed (Lynn had already left for work), Rita used the bathroom and got dressed. In the hall, Luna, Lynn, and Lucy were waiting in line for the bathroom. They looked at her, and she saw apprehension in their eyes.

"Good morning," she said as cheerfully as she could.

"Morning, mom," Luna said.

"Morning," Lynn said.

Rita asked them how they slept and they all replied that they had slept well. She noted the hesitancy in their voices, and her heart broke. _They're scared of me._

That made her feel even worse as she walked to Luan's open door. The girl was sitting on the edge of her bed and pulling her shoes on. She looked up when Rita entered, and her eyes narrowed.

"Hey, honey," Rita said, trepidation in her voice "how'd you sleep?"

Luan looked away, and Rita sighed. "I want to talk to you about last night."

"Talk," Luan said.

Rita came into the room and sat next to the girl, who stiffened. Resting her hands on her knees, Rita said, "I'm sorry for how I behaved. It was wrong. I just...with Leni and all of that...I couldn't handle it and I blew up." She glanced at the girl, who stared straight ahead, her jaw set. Rita took a deep breath, tears flooding her eyes. "I'm sorry, Luan. I love you."

She put her arm around the girl's shoulder, and after a second, Luan leaned into her. "I'm sorry too," Luan said.

"I know how you feel about Lincoln, honey. I felt that way about boys when I was your age too. You think you're in love – "

"I _am_."

" – but you really aren't. And...he's your brother. It's...it's not right." Rita stopped and sighed. "I can't stop how you feel, though. You two just need to realize that you can't... _be_ together."

"We're not," Luan said, trying and failing to keep an edge out of her voice. "We broke up."

Rita looked at her daughter. A single tear coursed down the girl's cheek.

"We decided our family relationship was more important."

It was not a decision Luan relished, nor one she even wanted to make. She barely slept the night before, and her chest ached so badly that she could barely breathe. But if this was the only way she could have Lincoln in _any_ capacity, it was worth it. She would rather see him and hear his voice as his sister, than never see him and never hear his voice as his lover.

Matters such as these aren't so easily resolved, though. He might not have her hand, but he would always have her heart. She would _never_ love another boy as much as she loved him.

"It is, Luan," mom said. "I know...you must be upset, but it's for the best."

 _For_ whose _best?_

She didn't say that out loud. She just stared across the room and fought the same battle she'd been fighting all night, the battle against the pain, the tears, and the hatred toward her parents.

"You're both ungrounded," mom said. "I don't...I don't want him in your room and I don't want you in his room. Ever. And no more walking to school together."

Luan ground her teeth but didn't speak, didn't wheel around and smash her mother in the nose the way she wanted to. _I'm miserable and it's your fault..._

Mom drew her closer. "In time, you'll see that you were confused. It happens at your age. I know all about hormones and crushes and...all of it. You'll come to your senses, and you'll probably regret this _very_ much."

"I already do," Luan said, and broke down. "I regret it so much."

Her mother hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "I know you do, sweetie. I know."

Luan wept bitterly into her hands, regretting giving her heart to someone she wasn't "supposed" to, regretting giving him her body, regretting that she fell in love with her own brother...regretting that deep down...she didn't regret it at all.

* * *

Lincoln Loud sat up when his mother came into his room and shut the door, his heart beginning to race. Instead of the raging she-bitch from the night before, however, he was greeted with just plain mom. She smiled wanly and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hey," she said.

"H-Hi."

"I'm sorry about last night," she said, laying a hand on his leg. "I was just...under a lot of stress and I lost it." She squeezed. "I love you, you know that, right, Lincoln?"

"I love you too, mom." It was true. He _did_ love his mother. Was he happy with her? No, he was not. He loved Luan and he wanted to be with her. His mother, and his father, were preventing that. No, he didn't hate them. But right now, with the pain still fresh in his heart, he didn't like them very much.

Mom sighed. "I know your father talked to you last night. I'll just say: I understand what you think you feel for Luan and what she thinks she feels for you. And what Leni thinks she feels, and...you know it's wrong, right, Lincoln? You know you can't...be in love with your sisters."

Lincoln shrugged one shoulder and looked down at his lap. "I guess," he said.

"It is. It's very wrong, and having...sex...with them is even more wrong. Having sex period at your age. Lincoln, you're a child." She could feel tears welling in her eyes. He _was_ a child, but now? His innocence was gone. His childhood was shattered. Luan's too.

Lincoln didn't reply.

"I'm ungrounding you, but you're not to go into Luan's room and she's not to come in here. Under any circumstances. And you're not walking to school anymore. I don't want you two alone period. I know...how intense feelings can be and while Luan tells me you broke up...I don't want anything _else_ to happen. Are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Your relationship with your sister, your sibling relationship, is one the most beautiful things you'll ever have in this life, Lincoln. What you and Luan did could very well ruin that. You'll grow up one day, Lincoln, and you'll look back on this and regret it."

Lincoln nodded. He already _did_.

Rita sighed. "Get ready for school."

She left Lincoln's room and made one last stop.

In Lori and Leni's room, Lori was sitting on the edge of her bed and texting. Rita stepped in and shut the door: Lori looked up.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you last night," Rita said. "I am still not happy that you were eavesdropping, though. What did you hear?"

Lori quickly glanced down at her phone. Too quickly. "Nothing."

"Yes you did."

"I swear."

"Lori...look at me."

Lori sighed, sat her phone down, and looked at her mother. In seventeen years, Lori had seen her mother angry more times than she could count, but never as angry as she was last night. She was...to be honest, she was actually afraid.

"Lori, you heard what Luan told me, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Lori admitted, looking away. Standing there with her ear pressed against the door, Lori recoiled when she heard her younger sister's confession that she and Leni were both "in love" with Lincoln, and that both had had sex with him. Their own brother! Ugh! She could understand why her mother was angry, and she was angry too. Angry at Luan and Leni for doing what they did, and angry at Lincoln for going along with it.

"Alright," Rita said, "I want you to keep it to yourself. Don't ever tell _anybody_. Do you understand?"

Lori nodded. She hadn't planned on telling anyone. In fact, she wasn't planning on even _thinking_ about it.

"This stays between us. It's a family matter and no one else needs to know."

Except for Leni's doctors, Rita thought to herself with a pinch of anxiety.

"I won't tell," Lori said. "I promise."

"Thank you," Rita said.

* * *

Lynn met Amber at the end of her street and together they walked to school. It was a cool, drizzly day, and the cars passing in the street kicked up sheets of wet mist.

"How's your sister?" Amber asked. "Have you heard anything else?"

"No," Lynn said with a sad sigh.

Amber took her hand and threaded her fingers through Lynn's. She smiled. "I'm sure she'll be okay. She just needs to get better is all."

" _Can_ she get better?" Lynn worried.

"Of course she can. It's not like she has terminal cancer or anything. They'll give her some medication and she'll be fine. My uncle is c – has issues, and he takes his meds and he's great. It's when he doesn't take his meds that you have to watch out. He'll get all funny and start thinking everyone's out to get him." Amber laughed. "It's actually kind of scary."

Lynn nodded. "Yeah, Leni was pretty scary yesterday."

"Don't think about it," Amber said, pulling Lynn closer. Lynn rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder, some of her worry draining away. "You know...I don't like seeing you upset."

"I don't like _being_ upset," Lynn said.

"Well, I guess I'll have to do something to make you feel better."

"Like what?" Lynn asked.

"Whatever it takes," Amber said, "for the girl I love."

Lynn's heart sputtered. Love?

"That smile on your face tells me that was a good start," Amber grinned.

Lynn sucked in her lips and tried to swallow that smile, because why should she be smiling when her sister was in a psych hospital, but it grew too wide, and she had to turn her face.

"I love you, Lynn," Amber said, her voice solemn.

"You're just saying that," Lynn said, still glowing.

Amber stopped. "No, I'm not. I love you."

Lynn lifted her head and looked into Amber's eyes. "I-I love you too."

It was Amber's turn to smile like a fool. "Now _you're_ just saying it."

"I mean it," Lynn said, and shoved Amber's shoulder. "Paulson."

Amber shoved back. "So do I. Loud."

"I mean it more," Lynn said, punching Amber in the arm.

"No, _I_ mean it more," Amber said, wrapping her arm around Lynn's neck and giving her a nugie.

"Ah, Jesus! Okay, you mean it more!" Lynn cried as Amber's knuckles scraped her scalp.

"Ha!" Amber said, releasing Lynn to rub her wounded head. "Told you."

"You're a jerk," Lynn said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, but you're _my_ jerk."

"I wouldn't hand it any other way," Amber said, grabbing Lynn's hand. "Now come on, Loud. Your shit's gonna make us late."

* * *

There was a clear line of demarcation between sleeping and not sleeping. Leni was aware of crossing that line, a spill of golden morning sunshine falling across her face and making her wince. She opened her eyes, and her heart clenched. The room around her was unfamiliar, the walls white and featureless, the ceiling tiled and splotched with dark water stains. Where was she?

She sat up, and memories started coming back to her. She was at the hospital because something happened. Mist swirled in her head and she saw Luan's trembling silhouette, anger rising in her chest. Luan did something to her.

But what?

Lincoln...she stole Lincoln.

Greif swept through Leni. No, that wasn't right. She had Lincoln before Leni even realized she herself wanted him. She didn't steal him, but she was trying to keep them apart because she wanted him all to herself.

Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. What happened then? Why was she at the hospital? She closed her eyes and tried to remember. She saw the mist again, her sister's dark, obscured outline. She squeezed her eyes tighter, sure that she could part the fog with a little effort. She bowed her head, balled her fists, and applied everything she had. Slowly, ever so slowly, the mist began to dissipate, and Luan began to lean forward out of the vortex, Leni catching first a glimpse of cheek, then a spill of reddish brown hair. An eye came next. It was big and funny looking. Fear clenched Leni's heart, but she continued, certain that she _had_ to do this, that she _had_ to blow away the fog and see the vision. She didn't know why, only that it was important. No, vital. It was vital. She had to see.

Next came another eye, then a nose. A mouth, open in a silent howl. Leni's heart was racing.

When the face was finally revealed, Leni screamed: Luan's eyes were wide and filled with terror, her mouth open, her face tinted a dying shade of blue. She remembered the feeling of Luan's throat under her hands, warm and soft and delicate, remembered the way her pulse beat erratically against her thumb as her sister crumpled and went down to her knees, remembered shaking and strangling her even after her eyes rolled back into her head.

Leni was screaming, her hands pressed to the sides of her heads, when they came in. They tried to calm her, but she fought, swiping her nails across one of their faces. The other jabbed a needle into her arm, and warm numbness instantly coursed through her.

"I killed her," Leni sobbed, "I killed my sister."

She dropped against her pillow and allowed herself to drift away, away from the horror, the pain, the realization that she had murdered her little sister.

"I...killed...her," Leni muttered as she floated away, too weak now to cry. "Luan..."

For a long time, Leni inhabited the darkness, a place that may have been heaven...or hell.

* * *

Having dinner with his family that night was the hardest thing Lincoln Loud had ever done in his life. Sitting in his customary spot, he kept his head bowed and his eyes on his plate, because when he looked up, he automatically looked at Luan, and the pale misery, so stark on her drawn face, was too much to bear. She was three seats down and across, near enough that he could reach out and touch her if he leaned over, but he couldn't. She was so achingly close, but so far away.

"How was _your_ day, Lincoln?" his mother asked.

"It was fine," he said, barely above a whisper.

"How'd you do on your math test?"

I probably flunked it because I don't care. Out loud: "Fine. Real fine."

He could feel his sisters looking at him, but no one said anything. He stabbed a roasted potato and put it into his mouth. He grimaced, because it had no taste. He choked it down anyway.

"Luan?" mom asked.

"Okay," she said.

Lincoln glanced up before he could stop himself. Unshed tears shone in her eyes. Her cheeks were red and puffy. Lincoln's heart twisted and, with a sigh, he looked back down at his plate, a fresh flood of pain washing through him. He tightened his grip on his fork until his knuckles turned white.

After dinner, he went to his room and sat in the dark. He hurt so bad he could barely move, so he didn't, leaning against the headboard and staring into the gloom. At one point Luna came in and asked him to listen to her new song, but he sent her away. Lucy wanted him to listen to her new poem, Lynn wanted something; he held up his hand before she could even finish speaking. "I'm _not_ in the mood. Just leave me alone."

She looked disappointed, but didn't argue.

So alone in the dark he sat, alone in the dark just like his heart, and his soul.

Time heals all wounds, they say, and Lincoln Loud hoped desperately that they were right. He had the sneaking suspicion that they weren't, that he would carry this pain with him forever and ever.

Luan, for her part, believed the same, and thought once more of the razor blades in her drawer. Just a few minutes of burning pain, and it would all be over...


	13. Seasons

Hours stretched into days like years into decades. It was Saturday, but Lincoln was barely aware of that fact: He sat by his bedroom window and watched beads of rain sluice down the glass, his arms crossed and his mind faraway. His body was not grounded, he was free to leave his room any time he wanted, but his heart was, and thus he rarely did. Seeing Luan in the hall or in the living room was too painful, hearing her voice making his stomach pang with loss. So here he sat, as he sat every day, isolated and not caring. He could have a million people around him, but he would always be alone without Luan. Would the pain ever end, he wondered, or would it continue for the rest of his life?

In her own room, Luan stared up at the ceiling, willing herself not to pick up her phone and look through the pictures she'd taken of her and Lincoln in happier times. She knew she eventually would, and that she would either cry or feel worse than she already did. She was hungry but the thought of actually eating made her sick. She rolled over and stared at the wall. It was blank. Just like her heart.

In her room at Royal Woods General, Leni rewound that day's meeting with her younger sister through her mind again and again. _You didn't kill your sister, she's okay_ , they told her, but Leni didn't believe them. If Luan was alive, why wouldn't they let her see her? "She's fine, honey," mom said when she came to visit. _Every_ time. Finally, Luan came, her face full of trepidation, and Leni broke down crying, throwing her arms around her sister and hugging her as tightly as she could. "I'm so, so, so sorry, Luan," she sobbed. Luan hugged her back and told her it was okay, but it wasn't, and it never _would_ be. Leni would carry the stain on her soul until her dying day, and every once in a while, she would dream about it, and come awake in a cold sweat, her heart pounding.

Weeks stretched into months like decades into centuries. The pain in Lincoln's heart did not abate. If anything, it only grew, like a cancer, but at least cancer eventually kills you and you no longer suffer. He and Luan rarely interacted. They would pass each other like ships in the night and maybe, maybe, exchange a greeting, but that was a big maybe, and even a single word between them was few and far between.

The agony in Luan's chest became sharper, more intense. She couldn't bring herself to speak to Lincoln or even to look at him, because she would lose her composure and not get it back for days. He said they would regret this and he was right. Oh, was he right.

Leni came home after two weeks. Her medication helped with her emotions, and so did therapy. She learned that she was never in love with her brother, she only wanted to feel loved herself, since she didn't, deep down. At least that's what they told her. She accepted it because acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery. That's something else they told her. She still harbored a deep love for her brother, and seeing him in such misery made _her_ miserable. Seeing Luan in such misery too. She asked her mother one day while they couldn't just let Lincoln and Luan be together. "It's not right and they don't know what they're really feeling." Mom said either that or something like it. Not that it mattered _what_ , because it didn't make sense to Leni either way. Love is love. That's yet another thing they said. Love is love and love is blind. Only they didn't really believe that, did they? Love is love and love is blind only when they say it is, only when they _decide_ it is.

It was almost summer when Lynn finally sucked it up and called her family together for a special meeting. The memory of how mom reacted to Lincoln and Luan (if that's indeed what it was about) was fresh in her mind, and her stomach was a pit of nerves. Amber had offered to come over for moral support, but Lynn turned her down. _I have to do this on my own_.

Standing in the middle of the living room, her knees knocking, she drew a deep breath. "I called this family meeting because...well...I have something to say."

Everyone nodded and smiled and offered their silent support. Would they still be nodding and smiling and offering their silent support when she was done?

"I – I'm gay," she blurted.

And they did smile and nod and offer their silent support. Not _just_ their silent support, either, but their vocal support as well.

"Honey, this makes no difference," mom said, hugging her, "we love and support you no matter what."

Rita pretended not to notice Lincoln and Luan both glaring at her.

Months stretched into years like centuries into millennia. Lincoln was almost thirteen when he realized something: He hated his mother. Every time he looked at her, every time he heard her voice, loathing ran through him like bitter wine. He struggled with this, and felt awful at first, but over time, he grew to accept his hatred, then to embrace it. She deserved nothing less for making him miserable, and for making Luan miserable.

Luan's own hatred grew as well. Neither she nor Lincoln spoke to the bitch, and neither got her anything for Christmas or her birthday.

Rita knew how they felt. She could _feel_ it pouring off of them in sickening waves, and it killed her, but what was she to do? Let them have sex whenever they wanted?

Lori left home, then Leni left home, the former for college and the latter for design school. Leni did well and took her medication, but she always felt a nagging _something_ deep inside, a deformed sense that something wasn't right.

Seasons changed. Things came and went, _people_ came and went. Life is like the tide. It carries on no matter what.

When Lincoln was fourteen, he sent Luan the first text he'd sent her in nearly three years.

 _I love you with all my heart and soul. Every day apart from you is like being in hell. I don't care what our mother says, Luan, I need you. You are my air, my water, and my everything._

He made her an offer.

 _We can't do that. What will we do?_

 _I don't know,_ he said, _and I don't care. As long as I have you._

 _No, Lincoln._

But the seed was planted, and it took sprout.

And one day at the beginning of June, the Loud house woke to find that Lincoln and Luan, too, had gone.

 **I want to make it clear up front that my depiction of Leni did not inspire AberrantScript's depiction of Leni in his "My Only Sunshine." If anything, his idea for a psychotic Leni inspired me. I didn't mean to rip him off so directly (sorry, bro), but once I got the idea, I couldn't shake it. I enjoy writing mentally ill characters as it's a fun and challenging perspective to write from (see "The Diary of Lincoln Loud"). Had it not been for a conversation I and AberrantScript had, this story would have been done, almost literally, 20,000 words ago. His evil Leni, I suspect, will become the gold standard, so there's that.**

 **I may write a sequel; I certainly have an idea in mind. Will I? Who knows? It's possible.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the story. Flagg1991, over and out.**


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